Pokémon Sun & Moon: The Challenge of a Lifetime!
by NegaiFreak
Summary: The Ketchum twins are now 10 years old! That means they can travel the world as Pokémon trainers! And their adventure has just begun as they head off to the Alola region to make new discoveries with their family and friends! Pokémon X Fairy Tail Crossover! SHIPPINGS INCLUDED! PLEASE READ, REVIEW, AND ENJOY
1. Alola, Alola!

**Alola! You guys excited for Sun & Moon? I sure am! As of now, I have the games and am currently playing them! But before that, it's time to give you guys the story you've all been waiting for!**

 **When I created Calvin and Erika Ketchum as twins, I had to think about how they'd have to deal with an older sister like Leslie when neither of them were wanting to be trainers. Before they were born, she had won the Unova League and ended up becoming the region's Champion Master. Her father also went ahead and reclaimed his place in the Kanto region, winning the league there and becoming Champion Master himself. A lot has happened in the time before Calvin and Erika existed, but I didn't want Ash and Mirajane to be alone with just one kid.**

 **Leslie always wanted a brother or sister like her best friends, so her parents finally decided to have another child. The only problem was they got more than they bargained for with twins. And now they're about to know just what it's like to be trainers like their father and sister!**

 **Get ready for the challenge of a lifetime!**

 **POKÉMON SUN & MOON**

 **THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME**

"Mmm..." a sleeping Leslie Ketchum moaned, lying comfortably on her bed underneath the covers. Her messy white hair was sprawled all across the pillows as the morning sunlight seeped through the curtains into her room. The luminosity luckily didn't reach her eyes, allowing her to snooze peacefully without any disturbances. However, a dark figure suddenly rushed by, ripping the covers off of the divan, revealing the young adult in her olive green pajamas. As a twenty-four year old woman, she had gone through several changes in her body. The most prominent one was her chest, as her breasts had grown from flat to the point where they were just like her mother's and perhaps even larger. She was lying upon her back against the plush surface, while the dark figure dressed in black walked up to her, pulling out a sharp kunai.

"Hee, hee..." a feminine voice giggled from the being, who was dressed in ninja-like garb upon the sunlight reaching her form. She aimed her weapon at her left bosom, smirking deviously beneath her mask. However, the armament reflected the light to the Ketchum girl's eyes, causing her to stir with a moan.

"Ergh..." she grunted, opening her eyes, causing the kunoichi to nervously sweat, "Wha...?" she uttered in confusion with blurred vision, blinking rapidly to regain her focus until she finally saw the person before her, along with the sharp blade, widening her eyes, "AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" she screamed loudly, catching the attentions of those in the kitchen downstairs, being Ash, Mirajane, Pikachu, and a boy with a long sleeved, purple collared, buttoned-down shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers.

"Oh dear..." the female of the four worriedly muttered, realizing what had just happened.

"She had to try and wake her like that, didn't she?" the well-dressed boy guessed with a sigh, while his father laughed nervously.

"Pika pi..." Pikachu said out of concern, hearing the sounds of banging upstairs.

"YOU ARE SO DEAD!" Leslie's voice bellowed as the ninja-like being jumped down the staircase, while she quickly followed. Before she could escape the white haired young adult, the kunoichi found herself caught in her grasp from behind, flailing around to try and escape. She then ripped her mask off, revealing her short black hair with her bangs showing.

"Hee, hee!" she giggled, "Good morning, Les!" she greeted, acting as if nothing had happened between them.

"Don't you 'good morning' me!" the Unova Champion Master demanded angrily, "You nearly gave me a heart attack back there!" she shouted while clenching her teeth in rage.

"I was only tryin' to pop your balloons..." the young girl replied nonchalantly, making her gasp in surprise, "Lighten up..." she advised.

"THESE AREN'T BALLOONS!" the trainer exclaimed out of rage as she gestured towards her chest, while the males in the room all cringed at their argument.

"Now, now, that's enough," the eldest female there stated, getting their attentions, "Leslie, you remember what day it is, don't you?" she asked her daughter, making her perk up in surprise.

"Oh, right..." she uttered in realization, letting the girl in her hand down.

"Calvin and Erika have been waiting for a while for you to get up," Mirajane mentioned, heading back over to the counter, "Once breakfast's all set, we can open presents!" she promised to the group.

"Yeah," the short haired girl agreed with a smug expression on her face, "we've been waiting just for you..." she told her older sibling, who arched an eyebrow in confusion, "Come on, let's open presents now!" she declared while zooming forward, but not before putting her kunai away. All of a sudden, Leslie's ears caught the sound of something ripping, enticing her to look down and see that her shirt's buttons had been torn off, revealing much of her cleavage. She blushed madly and crossed her arms over her chest instantly.

"KYYYYAAAAAAAHHHH!" she screeched out of embarrassment while also angry with her young sister.

 **Alola, Alola!**

"Mmm…" the white haired young woman growled as her little sister chowed away at her pancakes innocently in front of her at the dining table. Her whole family was having breakfast together as she donned an olive green sweater over her form with brown khakis and pink shoes.

"Now, now," her mother repeated, noticing her upset expression towards her little sister, "let's not get hostile over a little thing…" she advised, getting her attention as she perked up.

"More like two big things…" Erika joked with a snicker, much to the chagrin of her elder sibling as her face became a bright pink.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-!"

"Leslie!" Mirajane interrupted in an upset tone before she could even attempt to stand from her seat, flinching as she went back down, "Let's not resort to violence…" she told her, while she just crossed her arms over her chest in frustration and turned her head away.

"Hee, hee…" the young kunoichi giggled, catching her female parent's attention.

"And Erika," she began to her in a stern voice, "I know that it's your birthday and all," she kept going while seeing her gulp down the last of her food, "but that's no reason to tease your big sister," she reprimanded.

"Yes, mom," she replied with a cheeky smile. The Unova Champion Master didn't seem to buy it however, puffing her cheeks out angrily.

"So what's the plan this time?" Calvin asked before eating a piece of his pancakes.

"Well…" his father began with a small grin, catching the attentions of the others as well, "with it being you and Erika's tenth birthday," he kept going, "we're gonna do something a little different…" he stated, causing both twins to glance at each other in confusion.

"But of course, we're keeping some traditions…" the take-over wizard added, standing up from her seat and going over to the kitchen counter. She then returned moments later with a few gift boxes in her hands, much to the delight of the dark haired children as they beamed. After the family finished their breakfast, they went into the living room as the kids went ahead and opened their presents. Leslie's apprehensive expression showed as wrapping paper was flung at her face by her little sister, who stuck her tongue out at her teasingly. As much as she wanted to get back at her, she remained composed and just folded her arms over her chest.

"Whoa!" the lone boy in the room gasped out of shock, making them perk up as they looked over to see him with a pair of headphones that included spikes on the sides, "Aren't these-?"

"Yeah, they're Laxus'," Ash interrupted, catching his attention as he glanced at him with widened eyes, "He said he didn't need 'em anymore, so he wanted you to have them," he explained as the boy looked at the headset with sparkling eyes.

"Wait," he started to realize, "don't these only work with a music player lacrima?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"Then you'll need this," his mother chimed in, handing him a device that looked like a small music player, making him beam delightedly.

"Thanks, mom!" he exclaimed out of gratitude, causing her to giggle happily. The white haired woman from afar smiled at her little brother's enthusiasm, as he looked quite jubilant.

"Hey Les, check this out!" her other sibling yelled, catching her attention as she turned and gasped to see her holding a giant, metal shuriken in her hands, "Cool, huh?" she inquired, grinning while tying it onto her back, "Now I look like dad's Greninja!" she declared proudly while putting her hands onto her hips.

"Uh… is giving her something like that _really_ a good idea?" Leslie asked sarcastically, letting drops of annoyed sweat roll down her head.

"Pika pi, ka?" Pikachu squeaked in confusion, tilting his head to the side.

"Well, it's nice to know that she likes it," Mirajane answered, still smiling as her eldest daughter frowned in disapproval.

"By the way," Calvin began, getting their attentions, "when is Greninja coming back?" he asked as he arched his eyebrow.

"Not for a while," Ash answered, folding his arms over his chest, "He's still doing his scouting job for replacement Omni Force members," he pointed out, while his wife's expression shifted into an apprehensive one.

"And of course he's probably spending time with his… girlfriend…" she mentioned, evidently uneasy about saying the last word of her sentence, much to the confusion of her younger children.

"Well, whatever," Erika uttered with a shrug, readying her mask as she pulled it down over her face, "Let's have some fun!" she declared, racing outside like a ninja, slamming the front door behind her.

"I'll keep an eye on her…" the Unova Champion Master promised, getting up from her seat and heading after her female sibling outside. A while later at Professor Oak's lab, the kunoichi was playing with her new weapon, sending it hurdling into the bark of a tree. The Pokémon there all kept a safe distance as they saw her struggle to remove the armament from the sapling, while her older sister watched on by the fence.

"ERGH!" the little girl grunted, having to place her feet against the tree itself to try and pull the shuriken out. As she was able to do moments later, she chuckled, spinning it around skillfully before putting it back onto her back. She then ran off again, sprinting ahead as some of the bird-like creatures in the sky followed.

"Huh…" the white haired woman sighed deeply, remembering a time when her sister wasn't so rambunctious.

 **FLASHBACK**

 _The bawling of the two newborn babies filled the hospital as they were being held in their fatigued mother's arms._

" _There, there…" she repeated reassuringly, rocking them gently. Beside her were Ash, Pikachu, and Leslie, as the latter was wearing a t-shirt that had 'BIG SISTER' upon it in large pink letters._

" _Calvin and Erika Ketchum…" the father of the twins uttered, placing his hand onto his first son's head, "Who would've thought we'd have twins?" he questioned, causing his wife to look up at him and smile, enticing him to peck her on the forehead with his lips. The white haired teen looked on as her parents exchanged quips over not having more kids after having two just today, noticing the two infants calming down._

" _Leslie?" Mirajane chimed in, catching the trainer's attention as she perked up, "Do you wanna hold one of them?" she offered, much to her surprise as she blinked._

" _Uh… well, I… uh…" she tried to say, evidently nervous about taking a baby into her hands. The Kanto Champion Master went over and placed his left hand onto her shoulder in a reassuring manner, making her grin before she went over to the bearer of the newborns, taking the little girl into her arms._

" _Hi there, Erika," she greeted warmly, cuddling her in her left arm while using her right to wag her index finger in front of her. She was giggling before her tiny hands grasped the appendage, causing her older sister to laugh. However, she suddenly felt her finger get squeezed tightly, making her gnash her teeth out of pain. "OW, OW, OW, OW!" she yelped repeatedly, quickly and safely giving the infant back to the take-over wizard, "She's got an iron grip…" she noted, having to rub her reddening finger, while the woman lying on the bed just giggled._

" _Hard to believe this happened here in Alola, too…" she recalled, glancing over at her husband skeptically._

" _Sorry, Mira…" he apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with his right hand, "I thought a nice trip down here would be just the thing you'd need…" she admitted, chuckling afterwards._

" _Well, I'll enjoy making it relaxing for these two…" his wife replied, holding her newborn children gently in her arms. Her eldest daughter just smiled, glad to finally have younger siblings._

 **END FLASHBACK**

' _Guess it didn't help since mom and dad decided to have another kid almost fourteen years after me…_ ' the Unova Champion Master inwardly realized, placing her right hand upon her cheek in a bored manner before letting out a sigh. All of a sudden, she felt her chest get squeezed, causing her to shriek girlishly and jump forward. She crossed her arms over her breasts protectively, turning around to see her little sister chuckling cheekily beneath her mask.

"Ninja Art: Balloon Grab Jutsu!" she cried jokingly, cackling away as her older sibling began to seethe angrily.

"YOU LITTLE-!"

"Hey!" a familiar voice yelled just before the white haired woman could even say another word, enticing the two to glance over and see their brother hurriedly rushing over to them, sweating madly as he came to a stop.

"What's up, Cal?" his twin sister asked, trotting up to him and removing her mask. His breathing slowed down as he pulled out something from his left pants' pocket, being a piece of paper that he handed off to her. "Huh?" she uttered in confusion, arching an eyebrow.

"Is that a note?" Leslie guessed, looking over Erika's shoulder to see it. The young kunoichi just took the paper into her hands, preventing anyone else but Calvin from reading, much to her older sibling's chagrin as she turned away.

"There's one more gift for you talented twins today," she started to read, "and this will be the biggest gift for your birthday," she said, as both she and him glanced at each other out of surprise before they kept going, "The first clue lies in the dragon's snout," she mentioned, "Make him shout to get it out…" she finished, looking very perplexed afterwards, "What the heck does that mean?" she questioned, completely confused as the boy beside her took the paper into his hands.

"They must be talking about the clue we're supposed to find," he noted, looking closely at the handwriting, "It's gotta be around here somewhere," he added, jumping over the fence and rushing out into the field.

"Hey, wait for me!" the short haired girl cried out, pursuing him quickly as their older sister watched on, managing to crack a grin.

"This should be fun…" she muttered while chuckling. Both kids ran out into the ranch, passing by the numerous Pokémon of both their father and their sister, causing them to perk up as they noticed their presence.

"So what's the first clue again?" the kunoichi asked, scratching her cheek in confusion.

"We have to find something in the snout of a dragon," the well-dressed boy replied, racing off towards a group of the creatures, "I bet it's with one of dad's Dragon types!" he added to her.

"A snout, huh?" Erika uttered, tapping her chin with her right index in thought, suddenly taking notice of another figure in the distance. In the meantime, her twin brother went up to the Garchomp, Goodra, and Noivern in the fields, catching their attentions as they glanced over at him.

"Gabuu!" the former of the Dragon types greeted, waving his right claw to the boy.

"Do you guys have something for me and Erika by chance?" he questioned, smiling hopefully. The three beings before him all glanced at each other skeptically, tilting their heads out of confusion, much to the surprise of the human before them. "B-But the clue said-"

"RRRRAAAAAAHHH!" a voice suddenly roared, making him flinch in fright before he could finish his sentence as he suddenly fell backwards onto the ground in a yelp.

"Ow…" he groaned in pain.

"Hey, Cal!" his twin cried out, causing to immediately perk up and roll over, seeing her with their father's Charizard as she had a piece of paper in her hand.

"Oh, right…" he muttered out of realization, letting a drop of sweat roll down his head, "Charizard actually _looks_ like a dragon…" he noted, somehow offending the creatures near him as they stared at him skeptically. All of a sudden, an alternate colored Gabite popped right out from the ground behind him, playfully biting down on his head. "AAAAHHH!" he screamed, flailing around wildly to try and loosen the Cave Pokémon's grip, "Garchon, quit it!" he pleaded while struggling to escape. He managed to get away moments later, letting out a sigh of relief as he stood beside his ninja-clothed sister. "So… what next?" he asked tiredly as his sister read the note in her hands.

"Looks like our next clue's still here," she pointed out after reading the text, "Once we're done with our mission, we'll get an awesome reward!" she added excitedly, while her eyes sparkled.

"I sure hope so…" Calvin concurred, running off with his sister to find the rest of the clues on their scavenger hunt. As Leslie kept an eye on them from afar, the twins were finding note after note, climbing through trees, digging up the ground, and even diving into the small ponds.

"Got it!" the kunoichi exclaimed as she held up the last piece of paper, much to the delight of some of the Pokémon who were standing around as they cheered happily.

"Is that the last one?" her well-dressed brother asked as she opened it up.

"Who knows?" she questioned back as a response, making him puff out his cheeks angrily. She then looked at the writing on the paper. "Go back home with your sister to see what awaits you when we embark on our… journey?" she read, confused by the last word as she and her sibling looked at each other in confusion, "Well, whatever," she said with a shrug, crumpling the clue up and tossing it aside as it landed in the hands of her father's Infernape, "Race ya back home!" she challenged, dashing off quickly.

"Hey, wait up!" her male sibling yelled, breathing heavily as he raced after her. The Unova Champion Master saw the twins coming moments later, noticing her sister leading the way.

"Our reward's back home!" she exclaimed to her, passing her by excitedly, "Come on!" she beckoned while continuing to run. The white haired woman just smiled, seeing her little brother slowly trudge on as he began to head off with her as well. A while later as the sun was setting, the three Ketchum children arrived home, with Erika leading the charge as she slammed the door open. "We're back!" she cried out happily. However, she didn't receive an immediate response, much to her confusion as she glanced around. "Mom? Dad?" she uttered, perplexed as to where they could be, while her siblings walked in behind her.

"Hey, what's this?" Leslie suddenly questioned, catching the twins' attentions as they saw a piece of paper in her hands, which she started to read, "Once this last note has been read," she began, "go upstairs to find your surprise in your bed," she said, grinning afterwards.

"Oh, it's upstairs!" the kunoichi realized, dashing off, "Lemme' know whatcha' get, Cal!" she advised to her brother, who quickly followed her. Once they reached their respective dormitories, they raced inside to find their gifts. The short haired girl was smiling excitedly until she laid eyes upon what was on her divan. A packed satchel and some brightly colored clothes lied there, including a scroll and a holster.

"What is all this?" Calvin asked as he held a black hat with a black and blue striped brim in his hands. New clothes were on his bed as well, including a packed backpack.

"We're taking a trip tomorrow," a familiar voice chimed in, enticing him to turn around and see his father standing there with Pikachu.

"Pika pi," the Mouse Pokémon squeaked in addition, surprising the boy a little.

"A trip?" his sister questioned from the other room, speaking with her mother.

"That's right," she replied while smiling brightly, "You wouldn't wanna spend your summer stuck here in Pallet Town, would you?" she questioned, making her blink out of confusion.

"So where are we going?" the well-dressed boy asked, scratching the side of his head.

"The place where you and your sister were born," Ash responded as he folded his arms over his chest.

"It's a wonderful paradise for people and Pokémon, too," Mirajane mentioned to her youngest daughter. Back downstairs, the Unova Champion Master smiled as she knew what her parents were up to.

"Looks like we're goin' back to Alola…" she concurred, chuckling a little.

 **X**

"Hah… hah…" a blonde haired girl breathed as she ran through the white halls of the complex she was in, donning a white dress with a white sunhat, along with carrying a gray duffel bag. She frantically made her way past the docking area of vessels in the water, heading onto the elevator that was shaped like a triangle.

"There she is!" a voice cried out, causing her to gasp in fright, "Stop her!" he demanded as she saw several uniformed figures in pursuit of her. She quickly went to the lift's control panel, pressing a few buttons before the guardrails came up, taking her up just as the group of men and women in white uniforms arrived.

"Agh…" one groaned out of frustration, pulling a communicator radio out from one of the packs on his pants, "She's heading up to the conservation area," he noted through it.

" _Copy that,_ " a man replied, followed by the device going out with a click. Meanwhile, the girl had reached the floor above her, being an area of pathways that were fenced off from the palm trees, grasslands, and water bodies around it.

"Pew…" a voice squeaked from inside her bag, enticing her to look and see the frightened face of the creature that had yellow eyes and a gaseous, blue-colored body.

"Don't worry, Nebby…" she reassured, slowly walking out onto the pathways, "Once we get away from those guards, we'll be fine," she promised as she managed to smile at it.

"She's over here!" a man yelled, making her gasp as she turned to see two more uniformed people standing there.

"Oh no!" she yelped, quickly running off without giving herself a chance to catch her own breath.

"After her!" the employee declared, going into hot pursuit with his partner. Through several twists and turns, the long, blonde haired girl was beginning to tire out, as her vision blurred and her running became slower. All of a sudden, she perked up to see a man standing in her intended path, blocking her escape as she came to a stop.

"No…" she uttered in dismay, turning around to see the other men approaching her.

"Heh, we got her," one laughed, smirking.

"The President's not gonna be happy when she finds out what you tried doing, Lillie," the other pointed out as they came closer to her. She protectively guarded her bag, as the being inside started to glow a bright blue. All of a sudden, the light it emitted shined brightly, much to the collective surprise of everyone around as their mouths gaped open.

"Nebby, what are you-?!" Before she could even say another word, a flash conspired right where she was, blinding the guards for a moment as the luminosity went up into the sky and burst like a firework.

"Ergh…" one grunted, slowly blinking to regain his vision, "Ah!" he gasped with widened eyes upon noticing something, "She's gone!" he noted, pointing to where the girl had just been.

"Contact the President about this!" another demanded, causing a few to immediately run off as she grimaced, "This is bad…" he muttered with clenched teeth, having his fists tremble.

 **END**

 **Looks like the gang's going to go to the Alola region! Talk about a great birthday present!**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this introduction of a chapter! The next one might not be coming for a while, but I'm going to be working on it as best as I can. There are other stories I'd like to get going on and other things I still need to do.**

 **Until then, have a summary!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **The Ketchum family has finally arrived at their vacation home in Alola, and they're all excited to get the summer fun started! Well, almost all of them... Both Calvin and Erika aren't at all thrilled with the prospect of the journey, as Erika ends up running away and Calvin just sulks in his room. But all of a sudden, beings they've never seen before appear before them, leading to what could be an improbable adventure...**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **See ya later!**


	2. A Ketchum Conundrum

**Ready for another exciting chapter of Sun & Moon? I know things are gonna be slow going into the next semester of college, so please forgive me for holding back on this story until now.**

 **Anyways, the Sun & Moon anime itself has actually been pretty fun to watch. It won't be canon for this series, but there'll be some references here and there from time to time. **

**Now it's time to get back into the action with episode two! Let's get our Z on!**

 **POKÉMON SUN & MOON**

 **THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME**

The blazing sun overhead never seemed to leave the sky over the next three months. The Ketchum family had taken their family vacation for the summer to the Alola region, which was a beautiful array of four different islands, making it the perfect destination for tourists and other vacationers. The very idea of the trip sounded exciting, but the twins weren't exactly thrilled. They were shocked to know that they'd be staying in the region for practically the whole summer, constantly complaining about the heat they felt, the sand that stuck to their skin, and the overall home they stayed in as they felt very out of place compared to the actual residents of Melemele Island.

Their older sister tried to convince them to enjoy the time they had together, but even she was uneasy about it as she could feel the presence of men glancing over at her wherever she went. It was not as if she was unappreciative about her good fortune of having large breasts, but she loathed the attention she was suddenly getting. When she was at the beach, she normally stayed underneath the shade of an umbrella with a towel covering her form, preventing anyone from seeing her completely. Her mother and father worried about her behavior, much to the chagrin of their younger daughter as she felt that she was being ignored.

When she tried going out to practice her ninja skills in her suit, she always came up sweating madly from how hot it was outside. She was never able to make too many friends during the entire stay, always remaining focused on trying to better herself physically. Her brother was practically the same, but he found it more interesting to watch mystery movies and television shows each night, staying up late and waking up even later to the point that it was already the afternoon. Both parents were concerned greatly for each of their children, knowing that they needed a solution quickly. Fortunately for them, a certain event would be coming up later that evening.

"Samson Oak?" a confused Calvin uttered with an arched eyebrow in the afternoon, rubbing his tired eyes as he yawned.

"Mm-hmm," Mirajane responded as she nodded, standing in the kitchen and washing dishes in the sink, "He's Professor Oak's cousin and the one who recommended this home to us," she explained, glancing around at the spacious area they had within the one-story home.

"So?" Erika questioned in a bored tone, lying down on the couch and waving her feet around, "What does that old fart have to do with anything?" she asked on, much to her older sister's annoyance as she seemed very disinterested.

"He told us about a festival that's happening in Iki Town tonight," Ash answered as he was putting a few glasses away into their cabinets, "It's to honor the sacred guardian of the island and to pay tribute by having Pokémon battles," he explained.

"In fact," his wife continued for him, "it's also a celebration for the coming of age of new trainers," she mentioned, giggling a little.

"New trainers?" her son said, completely perplexed as he blinked.

"That's right," his father replied while nodding, "Like with all other regions, trainers get to choose between three Pokémon to start their journeys with," he told him, getting a small cup of coffee before sitting down on the couch beside his younger daughter, "And it just so happens that your cousin is going to be one of those trainers," he pointed out, causing both of the twins to perk up.

"Hau?" they guessed simultaneously.

"Yep!" their mother responded, twisting the faucet to stop the water from running into the sink anymore, "Your cousin's going to be a trainer and a pretty good one with your Uncle Sawyer and Aunt Lisanna leading him along!" she noted happily.

"Aw, I thought he was gonna try and be a wizard like Mom…" the kunoichi in training complained, puffing out her cheeks, "Being a trainer sounds so boring…" she added in a frustrated manner.

"Hm…" Leslie hummed worriedly at her sister's behavior.

"Sawyer's father happens to be the Melemele Island Kahuna," Ash chimed in, catching their attentions as the glanced over at him, "On each island, the guardian deity chooses a trainer worthy of being named the strongest of the island to watch over their sacred grounds," he explained to everyone, "They're called the Tapu, who watch over the people and Pokémon of Alola," he finished.

"Well, aren't you the smart one…" the take-over mage joked, going over and kissing him on the cheek, making him blush a little.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu squeaked happily as he smiled.

"So Hau's getting his first Pokémon," Calvin muttered, sitting down on the couch, "Cool, I guess," he admitted, placing his hand onto his right cheek in a bored fashion. Both he and his twin sister seemed incredibly uninterested by the idea of the festival, much to the concern of the rest of their family as they glanced at each other, wondering what they could do.

 **A Ketchum Conundrum**

"Mmm..." Erika groaned upon seeing herself in the mirror later that evening as the sunset rolled in. While she knew that she needed to sport a comfortable look for the regional weather, she hated the fact that her outfit was so colorful. Her shirt was a yellowish-white with floral patterns all over it, tied down at her green shorts. "This is stupid..." she muttered as a drop of sweat rolled down from her head, which tilted down.

"Now, now..." her mother repeated, placing something onto her head, making her perk up, "You'll need to look nice for when we meet everyone later," she told her, while she cringed upon seeing the red hat upon her, shaped like a red flower in bloom.

"What the heck is this?!" she screamed frightfully, stuttering at the sight of the headwear.

"It looks cute, doesn't it?" Mirajane inquired with a giggle, heading off, "Leslie, are you ready?" she asked her eldest daughter, who came down the stairs while donning a long-sleeved blue jacket over her form.

"Yep," she replied as she smiled, while her parent looked at her worriedly.

"You're going to sweat to death in that thing..." she noted, placing her hand upon her cheek out of concern, causing her to fold her arms over her chest in a defiant manner.

"Better that than seeing everyone staring at me..." she mentioned, causing the take-over wizard to sigh. In the meantime, the short haired girl listened on, looking back at the mirror with a frustrated look in her eyes. Elsewhere on the house's second floor, Ash was repeatedly banging his left fist against the locked door, with Pikachu standing beside him.

"Calvin, open up!" he called out to his son, who was inside and dressed in a white and blue striped t-shirt, black cargo shorts, and a black cap on his head, "We're gonna get going soon!" his father mentioned, while he just lied down upon the plush surface of his bed.

"What's the point?" he asked rhetorically, turning away from the door, "Just tell your friends I said hi," he advised, much to the surprise of the raven haired man, "I got other things to do," he pointed out, folding his arms behind his head in a bored manner.

"Come on, Cal..." the Pokémon trainer pleaded with a worried expression, "Your cousin's gonna be there..." he mentioned. However, he didn't receive a reply as the ten year old boy was just lying despondently against the divan. "Huh..." he sighed deeply.

"Pika pi..." the Electric type squeaked in concern. Back downstairs, Leslie had been gifted with a new outfit for the occasion, being an olive green dress that had a skirt that went down until was just above her ankles. While it revealed just a little bit of her cleavage, she smiled upon looking in the mirror.

"This... is nice," she admitted sheepishly to her mother, who smiled brightly.

"All that's left is for your brother to get ready," she noted, about to head upstairs until she saw her husband and the Mouse Pokémon coming down with upset looks on their faces, much to her surprise, "Hey..." she uttered, catching their attentions, "where's Calvin?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"He's not coming," Ash replied as the two white haired women blinked in confusion, "He said he'd rather stay here and have us say hi for him..." he added in a frustrated tone.

"Oh, jeez..." his eldest daughter muttered with a sigh.

"Well, I guess that means it's just the four of-" Mirajane halted her remark the moment she realized that Erika had vanished. "Erika? Erika?!" she cried out repeatedly, while the others began looking around upon noticing that the ten year old girl had disappeared, "Where did she go?" she asked worriedly. The kunoichi in question had snuck out of the house through the kitchen window, racing off into town while clenching her teeth.

"Stupid mom, stupid Leslie…" she muttered to herself as she trekked onwards, while her eyes started welling up with tears, "I didn't even wanna go on this stupid vacation…" she mentioned out of frustration, continuing into the streets of the city before making her way onto the beachfront. Meanwhile, a small figure watched her from afar, tilting its head in confusion at her behavior.

 **X**

Music reverberated through the air of the small village known as Iki Town as the festival had begun. People were laughing, eating, and overall enjoying the celebration as the wooden stage at the center of town remained untouched. The Ketchum family had arrived somewhat later since they spent a good portion of their evening in search of the dark haired girl.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed excitedly as he dashed out off of his master's shoulder, making him perk up as he saw him running toward a few familiar faces in the crowd.

"Big sis!" someone called out, catching the attentions of the family as they smiled. The Electric type had gone up to Sawyer and Lisanna Hughes, who were both nicely dressed while waving to the arrivals.

"Lisanna!" the Satan Soul user yelled delightedly, going up to her and giving her a warm embrace, "Oh, it's been too long…" she noted.

"Yeah, I know," her fellow take-over wizard agreed, "Elf has barely kept in touch since he got married to Evergreen…" she mentioned with a cheeky giggle, causing her sibling to do the same.

"How ya doing, Sawyer?" Ash asked as he took his rival and brother in-law's hand and shook it.

"Pretty good, all things considered," he replied as he nodded, "I'm still gunning for the Champion's League back in Kalos, but it's tough going with Alain being at the top…" he pointed out, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"I heard that even Diantha's trying to reclaim the Champion Master title," the raven haired man added, causing him to chuckle.

"So where's that bright ray of sunshine?" Mirajane asked, searching around curiously for a certain figure.

"Right here, Aunt Mira!" another voice chimed in, making her perk up as she turned around. She looked and smiled to see a young boy standing there with dark green hair tied up into a spiky ponytail. He was wearing a black shirt with a white collar, yellow shorts with orange and yellow flowers upon them, and orange sandals on his feet.

"Hau!" his female relative greeted, going over and embracing him warmly, "Are you excited for tonight?" she asked him, pulling herself away.

"Excited as I'll ever be!" he replied happily, folding his arms behind his head, "I've been waiting for this day ever since I turned ten!" he exclaimed.

"You still have to wait a while before you can do the Island Challenge though…" the green haired Omni Force member pointed out as he glanced off to the side.

"Tutu always said that you left the island because you didn't want to wait another year to do the challenge…" his son added in a disgruntled fashion, placing his hands onto his fashion as he grimaced in realization, sighing. His wife patted him on the back reassuringly, while the others laughed. Leslie was glad that her family was interacting and having fun with their conversations, but she still wished that her twin siblings could have accompanied them. Just then, she took notice of something in the background, widening her eyes and blushing out of fright and embarrassment.

"M-M-Mom?" she stuttered, catching the Satan Soul user's attention as she saw her start to hide behind her, "You didn't mention that _they_ were going to be here!" she pointed out, shaking all the while. Approaching the group were Alain and Fluttershy Regulus, causing them to all perk up and smile. Along with them was their son, who was donning a white, button-up shirt over a black t-shirt and jeans.

"Hi everyone!" the animal whisperer greeted as she jogged over, "Bet this is unexpected, isn't it?" she inquired to everyone.

"Yeah, I didn't know you guys were gonna be here…" Ash noted as he rubbed the back of his head, "So what's going on?" he questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"I got an offer to come here to take part in the Festival Battle Royal to honor Tapu Koko," the Kalos Champion Master responded after a moment, letting off a grin, "We figured that it'd be a waste to just come and go, so we decided to hang out here for a while," he told them.

"The Battle Royal?" Sawyer uttered in surprise as he blinked, "My dad told me I was gonna do that, too!" he pointed out.

"Yeah, same here," the raven haired trainer beside him added.

"Well, it looks like we'll all be battling again," the older Mega Evolution user mentioned, causing the other two to let off large grins.

"Pika…" Pikachu squeaked in anticipation as his cheeks sparked out of excitement.

"Leslie?" Dylan uttered as he approached the white haired woman hiding behind her mother, "Is that really you?" he asked while starting to grin. She blushed a bright crimson before walking out to reveal herself, glancing away out of reluctance.

"Y-Yeah, it's me…" she stuttered as a response, folding her arms over her chest, "Just… don't stare like everyone else…" she pleaded to him, causing him to blink in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he questioned, arching an eyebrow. Suddenly, he took notice of several people looking over at them, with plenty of men eyeing the Unova Champion Master in particular. Seeing their somewhat perverted expressions, he scowled and placed his right hand onto her shoulder while glaring out at them. They immediately walked off without a word, not wanting to start a confrontation with the man.

"Dylan…" the Ketchum woman uttered in astonishment, stunned by his chivalry as he turned to face her.

"If anyone bugs you, I'll help ya out," he promised with a smile, "You look great by the way," he complimented as he chuckled. She blushed even redder before pulling off her own grin, glancing away in embarrassment.

"Th-Thanks…" she stammered out of gratitude, "But don't think you can start staring, too…" she advised to him seriously, confusing him completely as he tilted his head to the side.

"What the heck are you talking about?" he asked. Their families looked on at them conversing and smiled, glad that they were interacting well after all the years of pointless bickering over simple compliments taken out of context.

"Hey, where are Cal and Erika?" Hau asked, chiming in as he caught the attentions of the parents. Both Ash and Mirajane shared a nervous glance with each other, much to the concern of those among them.

"Is everything all right, sis?" Lisanna questioned worriedly, seeing her put her hands together in front of herself.

"Calvin's adamant on just having us say hi for him," she told everyone as they blinked in surprise, "And I think Erika's the same…" she added with an upset sigh.

"What do you mean?" Alain asked as he stepped forward.

"She ran off," Leslie chimed in, causing the others to gasp in surprise, "I just don't think she likes the idea of taking it easy and having fun our way…" she noted while looking down at the ground, "She's always liked getting attention and moving around from place to place, but…" she tried to continue, letting off a sigh.

"Sounds to me like the twins aren't taking advantage of the whole vacation…" the younger take-over wizard pointed out worriedly.

"I know," her sister agreed with a nervous smile, "They're still young and have a lot to learn though," she mentioned, frowning a little.

"Have they turned ten yet?" Sawyer questioned, folding his arms over his chest.

"Yeah," Ash answered immediately, "but I don't either of them are interested in starting a journey…" he admitted as he too let out a deep sigh, "I just wish they would at least take a chance and try…" he stated, closing his hands into fists.

"Pika…" Pikachu squeaked, jumping up onto his master's shoulder in order to make him grin a little.

"Ah, there you all are!" a deep, resounding voice called out, catching everyone's attention. The green haired man of the group tensed up as he recognized who it was, turning around to see the tan skinned man approaching them. He was a rather stocky individual, having his grey hair tied in a ponytail similar to that of Hau's. He wore a blue shirt under his yellow jacket with a flower pattern, a shirt tied in a knot over a red and white fan tucked away, and white shorts including blue sandals.

"Hala, hi!" Lisanna greeted warmly, while her husband glanced away, "It's been too long!" she exclaimed before embracing him.

"Ha, ha," he chuckled, "It certainly has," he concurred, letting go of her as he went up to his son.

"H-Hi, Dad…" he stuttered in greeting, unsure of what else to say after so long. He was suddenly brought into an immediate hug from the man, shocking him a little as he felt his arms wrap around him completely.

"It's good to see you after so long, son," he said, smiling happily as he pulled himself away, "You've become a fine man," he mentioned proudly, making him grin a little.

"Tutu!" the ponytailed boy chimed in as he rushed over, "Are you gonna be the one to take on Dad and the others in the Battle Royal tonight?" he asked excitedly.

"If Tapu Koko wishes that Melemele's strongest should fight," he replied as he laughed, "But our guardian deity may have other plans for this festival…" he admitted, glancing back at the forest that was beyond the stage and the lit torches, "Anyways, I came here to ask for your help," he confessed as he started to sweat a little, much to the surprise of the others as they blinked, "We have somewhat of an issue…" he said, scratching his cheek sheepishly.

 **X**

A stone rapidly skipped across the ocean water of the Hau'oli City beachfront, where Erika was seated upon the barren sand, glancing over at the umbrellas and lawn chairs left for guests to the area. She was confused and frustrated by the entire premise of the trip to the region her family was in, curling up into a ball as she tucked her legs in. She didn't bother to try and take off her silly-looking hat or brightly colored clothes because it wouldn't matter. Nothing she would do to try and leave the island would make a difference to what was happening. She was on vacation and was going to have to deal with the change of being in Alola compared to Kanto. But now, she didn't know what to do. She stretched out her legs while looking at the water ahead of her, seeing the waves crash softly onto the shore. The stars reflected upon its surface, giving it a beautiful appearance. Even she had to smile at that for a moment as she started to wonder what it would be like to see such sights.

' _Do Mom and Dad… want me to be a trainer?_ ' she asked herself, folding her arms over her chest again as she reminisced. Her older sister would always tell her how fun she found being a trainer, yet did try to open the possibility of being something more. She was surprised to know that she had failed to be as adept as she was when battling, but she always stayed positive because she had tried to become something different. The dark haired girl was the same, but she felt as if she was being forced to take a path she wasn't ready for.

"Ergh…" she growled, picking up another stone in the ground, "Stupid!" she yelled, tossing it out towards the water. However, when she didn't hear the sound of a splash and instead heard a thud, she immediately perked up to see that the rock had struck a toy shovel that was apparently lodged in the sand. "Huh?" she uttered in confusion, standing up and trotting over to it, "That's a little weird…" she admitted while arching an eyebrow, "I don't remember seeing a shovel in front of me…" she noted as she took another step. All of a sudden, the object moved back, surprising her as she went back. "Uh… what?" she muttered, narrowing her eyes onto it. The sand around the toy began to gather and build up at that moment, causing her to widen her eyes and have her mouth gape open. Before her was a creature that was a complete mound of sand dotted with gray pebbles. A tunnel through the being's center acted as a mouth, and a small depression above that had two pebbles for eyes. The red shovel with the white handle was stuck blade first into the top of his head. On either side of his main body was a smaller mound that was reminiscent of a stubby arm.

"Gasss…?" he moaned out in confusion, blinking in sync with the girl before him.

"Are you a… Pokémon?" she asked, looking him over closely with curiosity in her eyes, "You seem kinda lame…" she admitted, folding her arms over chest.

"Suh, sand! Sa gast!" he yelled angrily, waving his stubby arms around somewhat comically.

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Erika apologized as she held out her hands in a placating manner, "I must've hit your little shovel with that rock…" she realized, glancing over to see it sitting on the sand, "I didn't mean to-" Her sentence was interjected at the moment she saw several more of the same creatures coming up from the ground, all glaring at her angrily. "Wh-Wh-What?!" she stuttered, stepping back nervously and gritting her teeth.

"Gas…" they growled simultaneously, letting their eyes glow a bright orange. Reacting quickly, the kunoichi jumped away right before she could get sucked into a large pit of sand.

"I said I was sorry!" she cried out to them as a few approached her in a menacing manner, "I didn't know that hitting your shovel was that bad of a thing…" she pleaded as a drop of sweat , about to reach into her holster to grab something.

"Pua!" a voice suddenly barked, causing them to all perk up in surprise as a figure dove down towards them. It landed right before the girl, being a pinniped creature that was primarily blue. She had large eyes, a long, white snout with black whiskers, and round, pink nose. There was a small, rounded earflap on each side of her head. Around her neck was a light blue ruff, which extended past her shoulders. She had four flippers. The front flippers were larger than the hind and had white markings separating her toes. "Pa, pa!" she yelped angrily at the opposing horde of sandy monsters.

"Another one?" the Ketchum girl questioned, blinking in surprise. Suddenly, the seal-like being before her unleashed a gush of water from her nostrils, striking a few of the foes that were slowly approaching them.

"Brrrraaahh!" she barked, firing an even stronger blast that blew most of the creatures back.

"Whoa…" the aspiring kunoichi uttered, amazed by the tenacity of the ball-nosed being. However, her attacks didn't seem to help as some of the sandy monstrosities began to glow in a bright red light, seeming all the more enraged.

"Ar…?" the one who was fighting them said, evidently frightened that her efforts had led to nothing.

"Gas…" they growled simultaneously again, readying themselves to attack.

"I don't think so!" Erika cried out, hopping over and picking up the sea lion-like creature into her arms while holding a pellet in her right hand, "Sorry about this!" she apologized in advance, tossing it down to set off a burst of smoke that shrouded them from view, much to the shock of the enemies as they all rushed back and retreated into the sandy earth, with their shovels sticking out of the sand. In the meantime, the girl and the creature had gone back up to the streets, as the former sighed in relief.

"Arf! Arf!" the one she was holding happily exclaimed, clapping her flippers in applause.

"You're a weird little one…" the Ketchum girl pointed out, setting her down onto the sidewalk, "but thanks for trying to help me back there," she said in gratitude while placing her hands onto her knees, "So what's your name?" she asked her.

"Pua pa!" she barked in response, causing her to let a drop of sweat roll down from her head.

"Right…" she uttered in realization with a nervous smile, "You can't talk…" she noted. Without warning, the sea lion-like creature began to race off into the distance, making her gasp in surprise. "Hey, wait up!" she cried out, chasing after her, "Where the heck are you going?!" she asked loudly, only to receive no reply as the stars shined brightly overhead.

 **X**

Back at the household, Calvin yawned as he continued to watch the mystery series on his laptop. His demeanor to stay behind had diminished greatly since he had started viewing, as he always seemed to get bored rather quickly. Ironically enough, his cousin had always found a way to keep him entertained when they met up, whether it was playing with toys, trying to solve a mystery their parents made up for them, or even going out to have fun in a new way.

"Maybe I should've just gone…" he admitted, clicking out of the video and closing his device, setting it back onto his desk. However, he sat back down upon his bed, placing his hands onto his cheeks as he looked out the window, seeing nothing but the night sky, the trees, and the beach beyond. All of a sudden though, he noticed a Murkrow fly by, almost as if it was heading towards the roof of the house. As he walked up to the opening out of curiosity, he noticed an odd flash of orange light coming from above. He immediately opened the window and looked up, gasping upon what he saw on the roof. Shooting fireballs from her mouth at the Dark/Flying type was a quadruped, feline Pokémon covered with primarily black fur. She had a short muzzle with a tiny, black nose, red eyes with yellow sclera, and short, pointed ears with pale gray insides. There were two red stripes around each of her legs and two horizontal stripes with a vertical stripe across them on her forehead. The lower part of her face was also red, and there was a large tuft of fur on each cheek. A tuft of fur sits at the end of her long tail, as three pointed ones stuck out of her back as she spat more fiery attacks.

"Kroh!" her foe squawked as he evaded the fire, diving towards her. She jumped out of the way, but then found the she was falling towards the ground.

"MRRRROOOWWWWW!" she yelped in a panic, flailing about.

"I gotcha'!" the dark haired boy said as he caught the cat-like creature in his arms.

"Mur, krow!" the Darkness Pokémon chirped angrily, catching their attentions as the saw him coming again, having his beak glow a bright blue. Becoming annoyed at him, Calvin let his right hand spark with electricity before he threw it out, shooting out a bolt of lightning and letting it strike the oncoming enemy, zapping him completely.

"Li…?" the being in his arms uttered out of surprise as her eyes trembled at the sight, seeing the Murkrow immediately fly off in fright.

"Phew…" the lightning mage breathed out afterwards, putting the feline onto the floor, "So what were up to on my roof, little guy?" he asked, squatting down to reach her eye level.

"Mrow!" she growled back angrily, making him blink in astonishment.

"Sorry, girl…" he apologized in realization, scratching his cheek sheepishly, "Did that Murkrow chase you here?" he inquired.

"Lit…" she responded with a nod, perking up as she recalled something, racing towards the window again and jumping onto the sill.

"Hey, where are you going?" the Ketchum boy asked, grabbing his cap and putting on his shoes quickly.

"Lit, lit en!" she replied before leaping away, running off into the distance. Hurriedly rushing outside and locking the front door and windows, her rescuer followed her while panting, wondering where she was trying to lead him.

 **END**

 **And just like that, the plot thickens. Where are Litten and Popplio taking the twins? Are some anime references going to be spotted? The answers and more are to come! Here's the summary for the next episode!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Upon meeting Popplio and Litten respectively, Erika and Calvin head to the Melemele Island Festival to meet their cousin Hau, who was to receive his starter Pokémon! It turns out that both Popplio and Litten had run off after a disagreement, leading to Rowlet being the only selection for him. Fortunately, he wanted Rowlet from the start, so no worries! But afterwards, he challenges Erika and Calvin to a battle?! A bout that'll lead to a new adventure begins!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **I'm so sorry for the wait, everyone! I was hoping to get some other things done before I put up a new chapter, and July's going to be a very hectic month with an exam I'm studying for and even more to worry about. But now that this is set, I can relax a little. Up next will be my adaptations of the recently released Equestria Girls shorts. I hope you'll enjoy them!**


	3. Challenge Commenced

**Alola, everyone! Excited for another dose of Pokémon action from the Ketchum twins? When we last left off, both found themselves with brand new creatures in their hands, and they're now being led somewhere! We're about to find out where right now!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **POKÉMON SUN & MOON**

 **THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME**

"Hey, wait a sec!" Erika cried out as she caught the seal-like creature she had pursuing in her arms, "You wanna at least tell me where the heck you're off to after that?" she inquired, while the Water type squirmed furiously, prying herself free as she hopped onto the ground.

"Ar, arf!" she barked, gesturing to her left. The girl she was with glanced over in the direction, blinking in surprise to see the faint lights of torches in the distance, flickering dimly.

"Isn't that where that festival's supposed to be?" she asked, putting her hands at her hips.

"Pua!" the Sea Lion Pokémon replied with a nod. To her astonishment though, she saw the aspiring kunoichi puff out her cheeks in frustration, glancing away.

"You can go there yourself…" she muttered, turning her head, "I'm not dealing with my dumb parents or balloon sister…" she grumbled as she crossed her arms.

"Ar?" the being with her uttered in confusion, tilting her head to the side.

"Mrow!" another voice cried out, catching their attentions as they saw the cat-like creature running up to them with Calvin, who had put his cap on.

"Erika!" he exclaimed upon seeing her, coming to a stop, "Where the heck were you?" he asked curiously, "I heard Mom calling for you before she and everyone else left…" he noted as he scratched his chin.

"So I ran out for some fresh air at the beach…" she admitted while folding her arms behind her head, "Not like it's a big deal or anything…" she grumbled in frustration.

"Uh… sure…" her twin brother responded, evidently confused by her behavior.

"Lit…" the voice of the Fire type growled, causing the two perk up as they looked to see the pair of creatures beside them glaring at each other.

"Arf ar arrr!" the blue of the two barked angrily.

"Mrroww!" the Fire Cat Pokémon shouted back as they clenched their teeth fiercely.

"What's with them?" the short haired girl questioned, arching an eyebrow as her sibling squatted down to reach the eye level of the two.

"Maybe these guys are old friends that don't get along…" he suggested while putting his hand onto his chin.

"RRAAWWHHRRR!" the cat-like being hissed angrily, making him flinch as he held his hands out in front of himself.

"Girls… sorry…" he corrected apologetically with a sigh.

"Well, I guess we should start getting home and wait for everyone else there…" Erika realized as she was walking away, much to the dismay of the Water type, who was lowering her head a little.

"Start?" the lightning mage uttered, looking back at the pair of beings as he narrowed his eyes in thought. He reached deeper into the recesses of his mind to try and pinpoint the information about them he had, however little it was. During his ten years of living in Pallet Town, he and his sister were homeschooled and taught the basics of everything from their mother, including several things about certain Pokémon. What he was recalling involved the creatures that trainers would be first given at the beginnings of their journeys. He let out a sharp gasp in realization, causing the aspiring kunoichi to stop and turn around.

"What's wrong?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"These girls are the starter Pokémon that trainers choose here in Alola!" he responded quickly, sounding very panicked, "And they're supposed to be at the festival!" he added. The girl before him blinked before tilting her head to the side.

"So?" she questioned, causing him to let a drop of sweat roll down his face out of exasperation.

" _So_ that means they could be one of the Pokémon Hau wants to pick, but they aren't there!" he answered, picking up the Fire type, "We gotta get 'em there pronto!" he exclaimed, racing up the hilly path that they were beside, "You take that one!" he advised as he hurried off into the distance.

"Uh…" his sibling uttered, about to say something until the Sea Lion Pokémon jumped into her arms.

"Pua!" she barked happily, letting her eyes sparkle in wonder at her.

"Huh…" Erika sighed deeply, "Guess I do owe you one for saving me earlier…" she admitted, running off with her in her arms as they headed towards the festival.

 **CHALLENGE COMMENCED**

Hala anxiously tapped his foot against the ground as he stood nearby the wooden stage at the center of town. He had been looking rather stressed since meeting with the large group earlier, as they had gone off long ago.

"Sorry…" a familiar voice chimed in apologetically, catching his attention as he looked to see Ash and Mirajane approach alongside Pikachu, "We couldn't find either of them around…" the former admitted to him.

"Pika pi…" the Mouse Pokémon added as he shrugged.

"Ah, it's fine," the Kahuna reassured, seeing his son and his wife approach along with Alain and Fluttershy, "I doubt you'd even be able to spot anything at this time of night," he noted as he scratched his cheek.

"So… what are you going to do?" Lisanna asked out of concern, holding her hands together in front of herself.

"Hmm…" her father in-law hummed, reaching down and pulling out a shrunk Poké Ball from his jacket, enlarging it by pressing its center button before throwing it up into the air. It popped open, and the bluish white light that streaked out of it formed upon the wooden stage, dissipating to reveal what was inside. It was a small, avian creature resembling a young owl with a round body and short legs. His plumage was primarily brown with a white underside and facial disc. The facial disc itself was in the shape of two overlapping circles. He had large black eyes and a stubby beak. The top part of his beak was white, while the lower half was an orange-brown. His feet had two forward-facing toes and one backward facing toe; they were the same color as the lower half of his beak. Two leaves were sprouted from his chest, arranged so that they resembled a bowtie. Additional leaves lined the undersides of his wings and form his tail.

"Koo!" he chirped happily as he spread his wings out, followed by being gently patted on the head by his keeper.

"Young Rowlet here would be more than happy to be Hau's choice for his first Pokémon…" he pointed out as he stood back up, "but I would at least like for him to _have_ a choice…" he confessed while folding his arms over his chest.

"Roo?" the Grass/Flying type cooed in confusion, twisting his facial disc to the right.

"Hey, where are Dylan and Leslie?" the Equestrian magic user asked, having noticed that the two young adults were missing.

"Over here!" the latter's voice cried out, getting their attentions as they saw the pair approach with a Talonflame flapping his wings above them in midair.

"Leslie, where were you?" her mother asked.

"We took a shortcut back to the house to see if Calvin had spotted them," she responded as they both came to a stop, "Not only did we not find them…" she kept going rather reluctantly while glancing off to the side, "I think Cal ran off, too…" she confessed, causing the elder take-over wizard to gasp in fright.

"Are you sure?" Ash asked, placing his hands onto his wife's shoulders to keep her calm.

"Yeah, we checked," the young man beside her replied, walking over to them, "Dad, you think we should have a wider search?" he guessed, getting his attention.

"Yeah, maybe…" he agreed as he narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Everything okay here, cousins?" a somewhat deep voice chimed in, causing them to perk up and see a man approaching them. He had black eyes, and black hair tied into a bun underneath a white cap with a rainbow symbol upon the middle. He wore glasses with green frames, a white lab coat with rolled-up sleeves, grey baggy pants with a green garter and white ribbon in the middle, and sported a pair of green shoes with white outlines. He also had a grey ring on his ring finger.

"Kukui!" Hala exclaimed in surprise as he came to a stop, "You wouldn't happened to have seen a Litten and a Popplio scurrying about?" he inquired to him while arching an eyebrow.

"They run off on you again?" he guessed back, making him sigh deeply.

"Those two get into arguments more than a pair of Pikipek fighting over berries…" he noted, folding his arms over his chest, "At this rate, the event may have to be cancelled…" he confessed, causing the rest of the group to gasp in surprise.

"Oh no…" Lisanna uttered in disbelief as both she and Sawyer glanced back at their son, who was happily eating some food on a bench.

"We can't give up that easily," the raven haired man of the group stated as he clenched his right fist, "Alain, Sawyer," he began to his fellow Omni Force members, "let's head down to Hau'oli City and see if the kids wound up there," he advised as they nodded in agreement, "Mira, Lisanna," he continued to the mages, "you can search from the skies around Verdant Cavern and Ten Carat Hill," he recommended as they too agreed by nodding, "As for everyone else," he kept going, "go-"

"Hey!" Calvin's voice yelled in the distance, causing everyone to gasp and turn to see him running up the steps to the group with the cat-like creature in his hands.

"Calvin!" his mother cried out happily as she rushed over to him. The Kahuna followed, laughing out of relief upon seeing the Fire type in the boy's hands.

"Am I late?" he asked, while everyone went over to him.

"Right in the nick of time, boy!" Hala answered as he chuckled heartily, "Where did you find this little one?" he asked curiously as the Fire Cat Pokémon jumped down onto the ground.

"This little guy was up on the roof of our summer house fighting a Murkrow…" the Ketchum boy answered, making the being beside him perk up.

"Mrraaarrr!" she yelped angrily at him as he flinched.

"Uh… sorry… girl…" he corrected in apology, sheepishly scratching his cheek.

"Ha!" the Kahuna laughed again, catching his attention, "So Litten's already gotten to know you, eh?" he guessed, much to his surprise as he blinked.

"Litten?" he uttered in confusion, looking back at the feline, "Is that your name?" he asked her.

"Mraw!" she answered with a simple nod, smiling.

"So you figured to bring Litten here after that happened…" Ash concurred as his hand was at his chin.

"Yeah," his son replied with a nod, "I ran into Erika on the way and she had one of these guys with her, too," he mentioned, squatting down to pet the Fire type as she puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

"Erika did?" Mirajane questioned in surprise as she blinked.

"How did you get here so fast?!" the young girl's voice yelled towards her twin sibling, making them all turn to see her running up to them with the Sea Lion Pokémon in her arms, breathing heavily once she stopped in front of them.

"Erika!" her mother exclaimed happily, embracing her warmly from her side, "I'm so glad you're all right…" she confessed, causing her to smile a little, "but you and I and are going to have a little _chat_ when we get home…" she added in a menacing tone, sounding much deeper than normal as her eyes glowed ominously.

"Yeah, yeah…" her younger daughter repeated in understanding, blushing a little in embarrassment, "I know I'm in trouble…" she realized while glancing over at Leslie. She merely let off a small grin towards her, glad to see that she had come.

"Pua!" the seal-like creature barked happily as she jumped out of the aspiring kunoichi's arms and waddled up to Hala, allowing him to pet her as well.

"I'm glad you're well, Popplio!" he noted as he scratched her chin, making her coo in delight, "Thank you both for this," he said in gratitude to the twins as he stood up firm, "As Kahuna of the island, I'm humbly grateful for your help," he confessed while bowing to them.

"Uh… it was no problem, really," Calvin responded rather modestly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"We just did what anyone would do," his sister bluntly added, folding her arms behind her head in a bored manner. Her older sibling just giggled, while Dylan returned his Talonflame to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light beside her.

"Cal! Erika!" Hau's voice cried out, causing the two to perk up before they each felt an arm wrap around them, being their cousin as he squished his way in between them, "I didn't think either of you would make it to the festival tonight!" he pointed out, smiling gleefully, "This is great!" he exclaimed. Seeing the smile on his relative's face caused the male of the two to grin as well, glad that he had helped. The aspiring kunoichi was somewhat perplexed, but smiled herself as she knew that she done something to make the ponytailed boy happy.

"Guess now we can get on with the festival," Kukui stated, causing Hala to nod in agreement. A while later, all three of the starter Pokémon were gathered upon the stage, standing beside each other. While the owl-like creature was eagerly chirping, the other two were eyeing one another out of frustration from earlier. A crowd had formed as they saw the soon-to-be trainer standing before his choices, with his grandfather right beside him.

"Everyone, today we have the pleasure of witnessing my grandson begin his quest to become a strong trainer who will take up the Island Challenge someday!" he declared, while everyone watched in anticipation, "I do apologize for stalling this event for so long since young Litten and young Popplio took off on me earlier…" he sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his head as laughs echoed around him, "Now which of these three will you choose?" he asked the boy, who was eagerly smiling as he looked at the trio of Pokémon before him on the stage. While both the Fire Cat Pokémon and the Sea Lion Pokémon continued to glare at each other, Rowlet just ruffled the feathers of his wings, anticipating the boy to make his decision in a moment. He stood firmly afterwards, turning to face the island kahuna.

"Tutu..." he began as everyone else looked on, "if you let me know what happened with Popplio and Litten, you wouldn't have had to go through all the trouble of stalling..." he pointed out with a tilted head, much to confusion of the stocky man, "I wanted Rowlet from the start anyways!" he declared happily.

"Roo?" the Grass Quill Pokémon cooed out of surprise as his new owner picked him up into his arms. Meanwhile, the man there just blanked out in absolute shock along with the other two starters, as they did not expect him to make such a blunt decision. The people in the crowd were just as stunned, remembering how the Water and the Fire types had gotten away from Melemele's strongest trainer earlier in the day. However, they started cheering soon afterwards by applauding the brand new trainer, who let his partner perch himself onto his right shoulder.

"W-Well then..." his grandfather stammered, clapping himself before letting out a cough, "I suppose we should-" All of a sudden, the other two creatures jumped off of the stage and took off towards the crowd, interjecting his sentence as he saw them jump into the arms of Calvin and Erika respectively.

"Huh?" the latter of the two Ketchum twins uttered in surprise as she blinked, seeing the Sea Lion Pokémon happily nuzzle against her. The cat-like being crawled onto the right shoulder of the lightning mage, purring contently as she rested herself down.

"Well, well!" Hala exclaimed as he laughed while walking towards the family, "Seems as if there's more than one new trainer coming of age on this night," he noted with a grin.

"H-Hold on!" the boy of the group stuttered out, "It was only a coincidence that me and Erika ran into these guys..." he pointed out nervously.

"MRRROWWW!" Litten growled angrily, causing him to flinch in surprise.

"Uh... girls..." he corrected after recomposing himself, "Sorry..." he apologized sheepishly.

"It may not be a coincidence that you two met these Pokémon," the kahuna stated, placing his hand onto his chin, "Perhaps Tapu Koko would like to see how capable you all are as new trainers..." he concurred, much to their father's surprise as he perked up, "Hau!" he called out to his grandson, who immediately rushed over, "How would you like to have your first battle against one of your cousins?" he suggested with a hearty smile. The boy's eyes sparkled in excitement as he turned to face his relatives.

"Yeah, that'd be great!" he agreed, pumping his fists, "You two up for it?" he asked them eagerly. The twins glanced over at each other and then their new Pokémon, wondering if it was such a good idea.

"Okay, I guess..." Erika answered nervously after a moment, much to the surprise of everyone else.

"Pua, pua!" Popplio barked excitedly.

"Rrrooooh!" Rowlet chirped in anticipation, flapping his wings as he flew beside his owner, prepared to engage in his first battle.

 **X**

"Well, isn't this something?" Dylan inquired to his parents as they looked over at him, "Feels like only yesterday I had my first battle against a close friend of mine…" he pointed out, winking at Leslie. She blushed madly, turning her head away in a huff.

"Who do you think will win?" she asked her father, getting his attention.

"I might be rooting for the twins…" he sheepishly admitted while scratching his cheek, "but…" he kept going reluctantly.

"I don't think they're as in the know about Pokémon as Hau might be," Mirajane chimed in to finish for her husband, "He is Sawyer's child after all," she mentioned. Upon the wooden stage, the ponytailed boy stood behind his new partner, who stepped forwards as he was prepared to battle. On the other side, Erika was standing next to Popplio, sweating a little as she saw the enormous crowd watching them.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Hala's voice suddenly boomed, causing everyone to perk up and see him come between the eventual fighters, "Tonight, we honor our sacred island guardian with battles between my grandson," he started to explain, gesturing his right hand to him, "and the children of the Kanto Champion Master, Ash Ketchum," he finished, pointing out the presence of the aspiring kunoichi and her twin brother standing just offstage behind her.

"Whoa, the Kanto Champion Master's kids?!" one person exclaimed in surprise.

"I bet they're destined to be as strong as their father!" a woman proclaimed rather excitedly.

"This'll really be fun to watch!" another added. Calvin's ears caught their words as he blinked in confusion, wondering if they were expecting much of him and his sibling.

"You may now begin!" the Kahuna bellowed, swinging his right arm down.

"Let's go, Rowlet!" the eccentric boy onstage called out to his teammate, enticing him to spread out his wings and take to the night sky quickly.

"Roo!" he chirped as he glanced down at his opponent, who hopped out before her new trainer.

"Okay, let's do this…" she muttered, seemingly not as excited as her cousin.

"Tackle!" he commanded, enticing the Grass/Flying type to dive down towards his enemy. She blinked in surprise before crossing her flippers over her face to shield herself, getting struck and slid back by him as he flew off.

"Ar…" she growled, shaking her head to regain herself.

"Okay then…" her trainer uttered as she closed her right hand into a fist, "Tackle him back!" she demanded to her.

"Bwark?" she barked in confusion, turning to look at her with a tilted head.

"Huh?" she said, blinking as she did not know why the Sea Lion Pokémon was not attacking as told to.

"Now use Leafage!" Hau ordered while pumping his fist.

"Krrroooohhh!" the Grass Quill Pokémon sounded off, making his wings glow a bright green as he span around, unleashing a plethora of leaves that zoomed towards his adversary like a gust of wind. She was hit multiple times by them, trying to protect herself with merely her front flippers.

"Pua!" she yelped as she then tumbled back, landing on her belly as she groaned a little.

"Aw, what's going on?!" Erika yelled, evidently flabbergasted at how poorly her first battle was going.

"Oh dear…" her mother sighed from the crowd worriedly.

"Erika!" Leslie called out, catching her little sister's attention, "Not all Pokémon have the same moves, ya know!" she noted, causing her to grunt in frustration.

"Well _sorry_ for not being an ace at battling, balloon boobs!" she mock apologized, making her gasp in shock and blush out of embarrassment as she lowered her head. Calvin could hear the crowd mumbling in confusion and astonishment, wondering why his twin sibling was having a hard time with battling when she was the child of a famous trainer.

"Leafage again!" Hau yelled, making his new teammate ready his wings as they shined, flapping them to fire down more leaves at the Water type.

"Uh… do that water attack you did before!" the aspiring kunoichi cried out quickly.

"Arf!" her new partner barked back as she nodded, taking a deep breath of air. She then unleashed a gush of water from her nostrils, having it collide with the oncoming leaves as they both burst apart into thin air.

"Oh, a Water Gun, huh?" the eccentric boy realized as he grinned, "Well, let's see if you can handle this!" he challenged, "Tackle!" he commanded again.

"Rowwwlll!" Rowlet screeched as he dove down at his foe with his talons aimed towards her.

"Uh, stop it with… another attack or something!" her trainer shouted, stuttering a little.

"Pua!" she barked in understanding with a nod, leaping up high. She then made her right flipper glow a bright white, swinging it out to counter her enemy's left foot. They clashed in midair for a moment before the latter landed back onto the stage.

"And that was Popplio's Pound attack…" Ash pointed out as he placed his hand onto his chin.

"At least she knows her moves now…" his wife added cheekily as she laughed a little. Her elder daughter, on the other hand, was evidently worried as her little sister continued her first battle.

"Okay, do the Water Gun thing again!" she ordered while raising her arm. Jumping up once more, the Sea Lion Pokémon reeled her head back, firing a gush of water from her nostrils that zoomed at her foe.

"Leafage!" Hau called out quickly. Rowlet's wings glowed a bright green as he spun around, making a torrent of leaves fly around him, shielding him from the blast of water as it struck.

"Now hit him with Pound!" Erika yelled, smiling as she thought she had gained the upper hand. Ceasing her ranged attack and making both of her flippers shine a bright white, the Water type headed towards her foe, prepared to strike him through the leaves he had veiled himself in. To her surprise though as she made her attempt, he had disappeared.

"B-Bw-Bwark?!" she stammered in shock, while her master seemed just as stunned.

"We gotcha' now!" the ponytailed boy declared as he grinned, "Use Tackle!" he commanded. All of sudden, Rowlet slammed his feet into the back of his enemy from above, sending her crashing down onto the stage in a yelp. Everyone gasped in surprise, while Sawyer let off a smile at his son's efforts.

"Pa…" Popplio barked in agony as she tried to get up, as her owner watched on in awe.

"How did he do that…?" she wondered, more amazed by her opponent's movements than worried about her own partner.

"Finish it with Leafage!" the eccentric boy shouted, enticing his teammate to ready another torrent of green shining leaves that rained down onto his adversary, striking her as she became enveloped in a cloud of smoke. Hala quickly stepped out afterwards, narrowing his eyes to see if he would decide a winner. The veil cleared to reveal the seal-like creature groaning in agony as her eyes were dizzied.

"Popplio is unable to continue!" the official bellowed as he raised his right arm into the air, "Rowlet is the winner!" he declared, while the Grass Quill Pokémon happily perched himself onto Hau's shoulder, making him smile.

"Way to go, Hau!" his mother cheered with the crowd, who all clapped for the victor.

"I lost, huh…" the aspiring kunoichi muttered as she went up and knelt down to her new partner, who arose from fainting.

"Ar…" she moaned in defeat, ashamed and sorry for losing to the slight surprise of the girl before her.

"Hey, it was my first ever battle," she pointed out in a reassuring tone, "No need to be down on yourself," she mentioned while picking her up and heading off with her. She still seemed saddened though, causing Calvin to grimace a little upon noticing. He could hear the judgements from the people around him, with some shocked to know that the child of a famous trainer had lost so embarrassingly. However, she did not seem to care as she came down to her brother. "Guess I caught a tough break there," she admitted in a bored tone, "It is Hau's day though," she pointed out, seeing him feed the Grass/Flying type an Oran Berry.

"Yeah…" her twin sibling agreed, glancing over to see the upset expression on Popplio's face.

"Well good luck, Cal," Erika said as she walked over to her family, where her elder sister had a cross look towards her. Meanwhile, the lightning mage closed his right hand into a fist, catching the attention of Litten.

"Mrow?" she purred in confusion, blinking at him.

"Let's do this, little girl," he advised, trotting onto the stage with her.

 **X**

The crowd cheers erupted once more as the trainers were about to engage in the second battle of the festival. Rowlet flew up beside his trainer, while his opponent stepped forward and got into a ready stance, growling a little.

"Do your best, Calvin!" Mirajane cried out as she clapped. He blushed out of flattery, remembering how excited she and rest of the crowd was earlier. However, he also recalled how surprised the people were to see how unaware his twin sister seemed during her first and did not want the same to happen.

"Uh… Dad?" he uttered, catching Ash's attention as he blinked in surprise, "Do you what Litten's moves are?" he asked while trotting over to the side of the stage.

"Scratch and Ember, cousin," Kukui chimed in, standing next to the boy's father as he winked at him.

"Oh, uh, thank you…" he responded in gratitude as he bowed to him, causing him to chuckle.

"Now if both trainers are ready…" Hala started to say, raising his right hand into the air, "you may begin!" he bellowed while swinging it down.

"Rowlet, Tackle!" Hau commanded quickly.

"Rrrooohh!" the owl-like creature cooed loudly as he dashed forward.

"Scratch, Litten!" the lightning mage yelled. The Fire Cat Pokémon extended her claws from her front paws, leaping and countering her foe with a swipe from her right one as it shined a bright white.

"Mraw!" she purred excitedly as she landed back on the stage, retracting her claws.

"Atta' boy, Cal!" Leslie cheered, much to her sister's surprise as she glanced over at her.

"Now use Ember!" the capped boy onstage called out as he pumped his right fist. The spiked tufts on his partner's back arose as she reeled her head back and coughed up a fireball that zoomed at her adversary.

"Quick, use Leafage!" the ponytailed boy shouted, enticing the Grass/Flying type to make his wings glow a bright green. However, the leaves he blasted out were burned away by the fireball as it struck him in an explosion, blowing him down.

"Yes!" Calvin exclaimed excitedly, smiling all the while.

"Nice move," Kukui commented, placing his hand onto his chin, "If Rowlet got that Leafage off in time, he might've gotten Litten like he did with Popplio," he explained.

"What?" Erika uttered in confusion, having overheard him as the Water type in her arms lowered her head ashamedly.

"Ember again!" her brother ordered, enticing the Fire type to unleash yet another flame from her mouth.

"Leafage!" Hau commanded. This time, the Grass Quill Pokémon managed to shoot off a torrent of leaves, having them collide with the fireball as it burst into black smoke.

"Lit, lrrooww!" his opponent shouted angrily as she glanced around. Meanwhile, her master did the same, sweating a little.

' _Last time that happened, he came out of nowhere to attack…_ ' he inwardly recalled, ' _so we have to be ready!_ ' he declared to himself.

"Litten, use Scratch when you see him!" he advised to his partner.

"Mrow!" she responded with a nod, preparing her claws again. All of a sudden, her foe sneaked in from behind her, much to her and her owner's shock as they did not even spot him for a moment.

"Now Tackle!" the ponytailed boy demanded. Quickly turning around, the Fire Cat Pokémon managed to soften the strong kick from her enemy's talons as she was only blown back a few yards along the stage.

"How'd that even happen?" the aspiring kunoichi asked, evidently amazed as the lab coat wearing man beside her grinned.

"Rowlet's known to glide in pretty silently when fighting," he explained to her in response as she listened, quite intrigued, "By using those leaves as cover, he can sneak around and attack," he added.

"Just like a ninja…!" Erika realized excitedly as her eyes sparkled, much to the dismay of the Sea Lion Pokémon.

"Litten, use Scratch again!" Calvin commanded as he pumped his right fist. Making her claws glow a bright white, the Fire type leapt up at her foe. He dashed towards her, suddenly becoming enveloped in a light green aura in the shape of a bird as he slammed into her beak first, making her flail helplessly before striking the ground hard.

"Whoa, awesome!" Hau exclaimed as his teammate landed down gently in front of him afterwards, "That was Peck, wasn't it?" he guessed to him.

"Koo!" he chirped happily in response, making him chuckle.

"He used another move?" the aspiring kunoichi questioned as she blinked rapidly.

"Pokémon all gain experience from battles," Kukui stated, causing her to look over at him again, "Whether they win or lose, they all get to learn something and grow," he mentioned while putting his hands into his coat pockets.

"Ergh…" the lightning mage growled in frustration as he continued to sweat a little, "Use Ember!" he ordered.

"Mraw!" the Fire Cat Pokémon roared out, letting her tufts spike up along her spine as she shot out another fireball from her mouth.

"Dodge and use Tackle!" the ponytailed boy yelled quickly. Gliding past the flame, Rowlet charged in and kicked his opponent away with one mighty swing of his right talon, sending her sliding to the edge of the stage. Everyone chattered in shock as they saw her breathing heavily with scrapes all over her body.

"Come on, Litten!" Leslie cheered, while Dylan stood beside her and folded his arms over his chest.

"Finish it with Peck!" the eccentric boy ordered as he swung out his right arm.

"Use Ember one more time!" his cousin commanded to his partner. The Grass Quill Pokémon shrouded himself in the light green once more, diving down at his adversary. Meanwhile, she gritted her teeth, beginning to glow in a reddish aura as her tufts spiked up once more.

"Li… TENNNN!" she roared, opening her mouth to try and shoot out a fireball, which came into contact with her enemy at the moment he was about to strike her, enveloping them both in a large explosion of smoke. The entire crowd gasped, wondering what had resulted as the black veil still lingered. The Kahuna trotted over to check and suddenly saw the Grass/Flying type soar out of the cloud with burn marks and soot all over his feathers, landing down gently on the stage while breathing heavily. When the smoke finally did clear, it revealed Litten lying down upon her stomach as her eyes were in swirls.

"Litten is unable to battle!" Hala declared as he raised his arm up, "Rowlet is the winner, and the victory goes to Hau!" he bellowed as the owl-like creature perched himself onto his master's shoulder, waving with him to the crowd as they applauded him. In the meantime, Calvin trembled in shock from what had happened, glancing down ashamedly.

"H-How did I…?" he started to question, clenching his teeth before running over to his teammate, who stood up.

"Mraw?" she purred in confusion, seeing him drop to his knees in front of her.

"I'm sorry…" he apologized, causing her to blink. She merely went over and licked his right hand, making him perk up and see the smile on her face.

"Mroww!" she exclaimed, hopping onto his shoulder happily. He was astonished by how okay she seemed with losing, but grinned himself as he felt her nuzzle against his cheek.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause to these new trainers!" the Kahuna advised to the crowd, "Whether they won or lost their first battles," he kept going, "I have faith that they will one day become the most amazing trainers in Alola!" he declared passionately. Everyone clapped in glee afterwards, but the lightning mage still frowned from having lost. He not only felt that he had let himself and his new partner down, but his family as well.

 **X**

"Pika… CHU!" Pikachu exclaimed as he slammed his tail, which was glowing in a silvery white light, into the face of a Lucario.

"Rah!" he grunted as he slid back towards Leslie, who was battling against her father as they were both smiling excitedly on the large stage. Sawyer and Alain were there as well, with the former's Sceptile and the latter's Charizard slashing at each other as their hands were cloaked in a claw-like aura.

"Lucarus, Ice Punch on Sceptile!" the Unova Champion Master commanded, enticing her teammate to cloak his right fist in an icy aura before charging towards the Forest Pokémon.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Charizard!" Ash ordered to his longtime partner.

"Pi… ka… CHU!" the Electric type screamed as he unleashed a massive bolt of lightning towards the Flame Pokémon. It struck him fiercely as he cried out in agony, becoming enveloped in a burst of smoke afterwards. Meanwhile, the Steel/Fighting type punched his target in the torso with his glowing extremity, causing him to slide across the stage, while ice began to form upon him.

"Woohoo!" one of the members of the crowd cheered as the battle continued.

"This year's Battle Royal is amazing!" another exclaimed, getting a lot of sounds of agreement. After the festival's opening matches, Hala selected Leslie to be the fourth trainer to compete in the main event, pitting her against her father and his rivals in a free for all match. In the meantime, the men's wives all watched on curiously, giggling all the while.

"Excuse me, ladies," Kukui chimed in, getting their attentions as they looked to see him there.

"Oh, Kukui!" Mirajane yelped as she went over to him, "How have you been?" she asked politely.

"Just fine," he responded while putting his hands into his pockets, "Anyways, I wanted to talk to your husbands about something," he explained, changing his expression into a serious one to their surprise, "But I guess you should hear about what happened, too…" he admitted as they all glanced at each other in concern. Elsewhere in town, Calvin had sat down on a bench with Litten on his lap, petting her gently as she yawned.

"Huh…" he sighed deeply, remembering the moment he lost and how stunning it was. He wondered if his parents or even his older sister felt the same way when they experienced their own first losses. To him, it felt shameful to lose as the son of a Champion Master and even more so in front of many people. He never asked to become a trainer, but was in a position where he did not want to give it up.

"What's the matter?" Erika's voice asked, causing him to perk up and see her with Popplio in her arms, who still looked depressed.

"We embarrassed ourselves out there…" her twin brother replied as he looked at the ground, while she sat down beside him, "Don't you think we should've done better?" he asked, closing his hands into fists.

"Cal, we weren't experts at this," the aspiring kunoichi replied as she leaned against her seat, "A loss is just a loss and there's no need to go crying about it," she explained while setting the Water type she had down right beside her.

"I guess so…" the lightning mage agreed as he took a deep breath of air. The Fire Cat Pokémon upon him batted open an eye, noticing a figure trotting into the woods beyond the edge of the town.

"Mrow?" she uttered in confusion as she stood up, hopping off of her master's lap and running over to the edge of the woodland area.

"Litten, what's wrong?" he asked, seeing her narrow her eyes onto the trees to try and spot something.

"Li, liten ten," she replied as the Sea Lion Pokémon hopped over to her.

"Ar?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side. Their respective trainers went up to them, and the female of the two heard a rustling sound amidst the flickering flames of the torches.

"Is someone there?" she wondered, blinking in confusion. Her twin brother developed a determined expression before running off into the woods, making her gasp in surprise. "Hey, wait!" she cried out, chasing after him with their teammates. In the meantime, Hau trotted over with Rowlet perched on his shoulder, both eating a sugary, dough-like treat together. He had brought over a paper bag with more inside, heading towards the empty bench.

"Hey Cal, I thought you'd want some snacks to cheer up, so I-!" He stopped his sentence at the moment he saw that no one was there, blinking in surprise.

"Koo?" the Grass Quill Pokémon chirped, twisting his face to the right. His master wondered where his cousins had gone off to, not knowing that they were heading up the wood steps on the hillside.

"Where does this even go?" Erika asked as they trotted along.

"I dunno…" her sibling replied as they made their way up to another section, suddenly hearing the sound of a branch snap ahead of them.

"Why do you wanna go to the ruins so badly?" a feminine voice asked from afar, enticing the group to stop.

' _A girl?_ ' Calvin inwardly inquired, jogging up the pathway a little more quickly, leaving the rest of the group behind as they walked after him. At the end of the path itself, the girl with the sunhat was trudging with her duffel bag in hand, appearing to be pulled by it towards the rickety bridge in the distance.

"Er, stop it!" she demanded quietly as her bag wriggled rather violently. All of a sudden, something jumped out of it, being a small Pokémon with a gaseous body similar to a nebula. It had two wisp-like extensions that seemed to serve as arms and an ellipse running down its body. Its front and back were black in color. To top it off, it had yellow eyes and two blue cheeks. It smiled happily as it soared onto the middle of the bridge away from its protector. "Nebby, wait!" she cried out, while the lightning mage had arrived on the scene. He saw her long blonde hair sway in the wind, causing his mouth to gape open as his eyes widened.

"Um… are you okay?" he asked, sounding nervous as he blushed a little. She immediately gasped and turned around to see him, staring into his brown eyes with hers of hazel.

"Speeeeerrr!" a voice suddenly squawked, catching their attentions as they saw a flock of three Spearow swoop in and zoom towards the gaseous creature. It saw them coming and cowered in fear, lowering itself onto a single plank while shivering. The group of Tiny Bird Pokémon surrounded it, sometimes diving down to attack. Seeing the events and understanding what may have happened, the capped boy immediately ran out onto the bridge.

"Oh, wait!" the girl there cried out, but was too late to stop him as he had already gotten onto the bridge, which wobbled as he took a big step.

"Whoa!" he yelped, grasping the ropes on each side to find his balance. Once he did, he breathed out in relief, slowly making his way over to the frightened being. In the meantime, his twin sister had finally arrived with Popplio and Litten, seeing him continue to go along the bridge.

"What is he doing?" she asked, running over. As he finally got closer to the smog-like creature, he realized that he would have to scare the Normal/Flying types off.

"Hey, shoo!" he yelled, waving his hands at them to get their attentions. However, they didn't take too kindly to his words as they began attacking him, striking him with their beaks and talons as he cried out in pain.

"Oh no…" the sunhat wearing girl uttered frightfully, clasping her hands over her mouth. Calvin gritted his teeth, seeing the cowering creature below him. He bent over onto his knees and covered it, protecting hit more any more harm as the Spearow continued to attack them.

"Don't worry, little guy…" he reassured while grimacing in agony from the cuts he was suffering, "I'll protect you…" he promised. As he said that, the three bird-like creatures were zooming in for one final attack to try and get their target. Extremely frightened, the gaseous being glowed in a bright blue light before unleashing a massive blast of energy that blew the bridge apart and sent the enemies flying back.

"Calvin!" Erika screamed in fright, while the other girl there gasped.

"AAAAAHHH!" he yelled, plummeting with the being towards the river below, where sharp rocks were waiting. However, he suddenly saw a rope wrap around his torso, saving him and the creature that was in his arms as it kept him from falling further. He opened his eyes and gasped happily to see the aspiring kunoichi having caught him with a line attached to the end of a kunai that she held tightly.

"Darn it, Cal!" she yelled in frustration, grunting as she tried to reel him in, "Wait for us next time!" she advised, still struggling. Both Litten and Popplio bit into the line to try and help, tugging as hard as they could. Meanwhile, the blonde haired girl just looked on in awe, evidently astonished by what happened. "Hey, give us a hand here!" the Ketchum girl demanded, catching her attention as she yelped in surprise.

"U-Um… I…." she stuttered out, shivering in fear. All of a sudden, the line snapped, leading to the lightning mage plummeting again.

"NO!" his twin sister screamed.

"MRRRAAAAWWWW!" the Fire Cat Pokémon screeched fearfully. As the flock of Tiny Bird Pokémon snickered at their work, they did not notice the figure sparking in electricity coming down from above. It zapped them while passing by, causing them to all hurry off. It then dove and caught the boy just in the nick of time, much to shock of the girls and the creatures at the cliff. They saw it fly him back up to the edge, setting him down onto the ground gently before flipping back. Everyone looked to see that it was a god-like creature that had an electrical current running about it. Its head and torso were black with white markings on its chest, just above its eyes, and on top of its head. Extending from the top of its head was a large, orange plume with bristles along the back. There was a yellow marking covering the top bristle and half of the bristle below it. The bottom of the crest went all the way to its neck, where it divided its face in half and created a beak-like nose. It had small, blue eyes with yellow markings behind them. The lower half of its body was orange with four pointed projections: one short spine on the front and two short spines in the back, with one longer spine between them. The spines themselves resembled a bird's tail feathers. Its thin arms had round, yellow structures encircling its shoulders. On each arm is a shell that appears to be half of a bird mask, and its hands end in two large claws to create a beak for the mask. The mask itself was mostly yellow with black, orange, and white markings. There were three white triangular markings with black edges on the top of each half of the mask. The 'eyes' consisted of a white diamond connected to a slightly larger orange diamond, which was inside a larger yellow diamond. Each of the shapes was edged in black. On each half of its beak was an orange triangle with a white rim. There were wing-shaped structures on each side, toward the back.

"Huh… huh…" Calvin breathed out, realizing that could have very well been killed from the fall had it not been for the being that saved him, "Th-Thank you…" he stammered in gratitude. All it did was stare over at the gaseous creature in his hands before glancing back at him.

"Koh…" he uttered, "KOKOHHHHH!" he screeched before launching himself up into the air in an instant.

"Whoa…" Erika said as her legs were quivering. Everyone else seemed just as stunned, especially the lightning mage as he looked back at the smog-like being in his hands.

"Pew?" it uttered, gesturing towards something that had ended up on the ground beside them. The boy looked over and found a mysterious stone that appeared to have a white object with a z-like marking embedded into it. He picked it up and glanced at it as it sparkled in the moonlight.

"Li, liten LLLIII!" Litten suddenly roared angrily at the gaseous creature in his arms, causing it to whimper in fright before hopping away back to the girl who carried it earlier, "Li…" she growled angrily.

"Easy, Litten," her trainer advised, petting her on the head, "I put myself into that situation, so I'm the only one to blame," he stated firmly, making her frown a little.

"Still, you could've helped, blondie!" his sister shouted, stomping over to her, "If it weren't for that… whatever," she continued in frustration, causing her to grimace, "my brother might've been dead!" she yelled.

"I-I-I…" the sunhat wearing girl stuttered, crying as she was lost for words.

"Lillie!" a familiar voice cried out, catching their attentions as they the large group of Kukui, Ash, Mirajane, Leslie, Alain, Fluttershy, Dylan, Sawyer, Lisanna, Hau, and Hala all running up to them.

"What in the world happened?!" the ponytailed boy of the group asked, seeing that the bridge had been destroyed.

"Are you two all right?!" the elder take-over wizard questioned quickly as she went over to the twins in immediate concern.

"We're fine now," Erika answered, folding her arms over her chest, "no thanks to this chick…" she muttered, causing the blonde haired girl to ashamedly lower her head.

"Cal, are you all right?" the Unova Champion Master asked as the Regulus man her age lifted her brother back onto his feet.

"Yeah…" he responded, holding Litten closely to himself, "I came up here with Erika because we heard something in the woods," he started to explain, "After I made it, I saw that this girl's Pokémon out on the bridge getting attacked by some Spearow," he told the group.

"Then it let off a huge explosion that blew the bridge apart and almost made Cal fall down to the river," the aspiring kunoichi mentioned, "If it weren't for that flying Pokémon that came outta nowhere, I don't know what would've happened…" she confessed, shuddering a little.

"What Pokémon?" her cousin asked in confusion.

"I think I may know," his grandfather chimed in, having caught a glimpse of the stone in the lightning mage's hands, "That bridge led to the Ruins of Conflict, where the island's guardian deity dwells," he explained to everyone.

"You mean Tapu Koko?" Ash inquired, getting a nod in response from him.

"Is… that what saved me?" the capped boy asked, looking up at the starry sky in wonder.

"Perhaps," the Kahuna replied with a mere chuckle, "It may have wanted to save that little one there," he pointed out as he looked over at the gaseous creature, which appeared to have calmed down, "but I think it deems you worthy since you have that stone in your hand," he stated, causing him to blink in surprise as he looked at the object he obtained.

"Hey, isn't that…?!" Mirajane started to guess, gasping a little with her sibling.

"Hm," Hala hummed as he took the stone from the boy after he offered it to him, "It appears we have an island challenger in the making!" he declared happily, "Fret not, Calvin," he advised to the boy, "I will properly return this to you soon," he promised while nodding.

"Huh…" Leslie breathed out, relieved that no one was apparently hurt. After a bit more discussion over what had happened, the group began to venture back down to Iki Town. As they started to leave, the lightning mage looked back up at the sky, catching a glimpse of the Electric/Fairy type that had saved him soaring about.

' _Tapu Koko…_ ' he inwardly uttered, amazed by its power. He then glanced over at the girl known as Lillie, seeing her regretful frown as they trudged down the hill.

 **END**

 **WOW. I did my very best to give you guys a good chapter, and it doesn't look like it disappointed. I know some people are gonna call me out for not letting Calvin OR Erika win their first battle, but keep in mind that Sawyer is a strategist that probably taught Hau what he needed to know when becoming a trainer. Calvin and Erika just became trainers out of nowhere and were put into battle for the fun of it. Don't worry, they'll get better.**

 **That said, I really enjoyed writing this and hopefully will be able to produce more over the coming semester. Stay tuned everyone!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Calvin and Erika are officially trainers! To start off their journeys, they get to stay a day with Professor Kukui to learn some Pokémon basics and even learn to catch other Pokémon! While Calvin's more than willing to learn, Erika is still acting self-righteous and bored. She wants a challenge, so she sneaks out to try and find a new**_ _**Pokémon at Ten Carat Hill! Will she succeed?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**


	4. A Rocky Start

**Alola! Ready for more action from the world of** **Pokémon? After the shock that came about with Tapu Koko from the last chapter, our twin heroes are now faced with a brand new challenge of being trainers. What will they do now?**

 **Let's find out in another chapter of "The Challenge of a Lifetime"!**

 **THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME**

About a half an hour passed after the collapse of the bridge to the Ruins of Life as everyone had gathered back at Iki Town, where the festival was coming to a close. Kukui was speaking with the Omni Force Pokémon trainers about Lillie and the gaseous creature she carried. It turns out that the being was better known as Cosmog, having peaked Calvin's interest as it had caused the huge explosion from earlier. Meanwhile, his twin sister was more angered from the incident than anything from what could have happened. She also had a spiteful demeanor towards the blonde haired girl who did not even attempt to help save her brother. If it were not for the island's guardian deity, he may have died.

"Three months?" Ash uttered, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah," the spectacled professor responded with a nod, "She was staying with Burnet for a while, but then came to me after promising to help look after the place," he explained to them.

"What about the Pokémon she has?" Sawyer questioned as he folded his arms over his chest.

"All she's said about Nebby is that certain people were trying to use it for something bad…" the bearded man responded as he rubbed the back of his head, glancing over to see Leslie and Dylan gathered with the sunhat wearing girl as they chatted with her about the mysterious being.

"Maybe it has something to do with what Cosmog is capable of…" the Kanto Champion Master implied, putting his hand onto his chin.

"What do you mean?" Alain asked curiously.

"Destroying a bridge like that isn't that mean of a feat…" the dark greenish haired man mentioned, wondering what his friend was trying to say.

"When I took the Island Challenge five years ago, I learned about the legends of Solgaleo and Lunala and how powerful they are," he explained in reply to the others, "I also learned about how… unique they are," he added, causing the others to perk up in surprise.

"Unique?" the fire demon slayer uttered, somewhat confused.

"Dear?" a certain feminine voice chimed in, catching his attention as he turned to see his wife there, "It's getting late, and I think we should have enough rest before our flight tomorrow…" she pointed out to him, causing him to blush in embarrassment.

"You got me there…" he sheepishly admitted, hearing the chuckles emanating from his comrades, "Let's try to meet up some time to talk more about this," he advised to the group he spoke with, receiving nods in response.

"Pew! Pew!" Nebby exclaimed cheerily as he floated about amongst the two young adults and its caretaker.

"Mrrr…" Litten growled from afar, still angry with the creature for putting her trainer in harm's way, almost even resulting in his demise. He, on the other hand, seemed to be lost in deep thought as he stared up at the stars in the sky. The mere presence of Tapu Koko would have been more than enough to get him intrigued, but there was also the being he helped to save, the mysterious stone he apparently received from the island guardian itself, and the girl he had just met. He glanced over at her, seeing the rather regretful and ashamed look in her eyes from earlier.

"Hey, Cal," his twin sister chimed in, catching his attention as he saw her approach him with Popplio trudging beside her, "you doing okay?" she asked in concern, surprising him a little as he blinked.

"Uh, yeah," he responded, looking back up at the sky, "I was just thinking about Tapu Koko…" he said as he arched his head back.

"You mean the thing that saved you?" she questioned, glancing towards the stars with him, "Yeah, that was something else…" she admitted in a bored tone, letting out a yawn, "I wanna go to bed…" she grumbled.

"Ar…" the Sea Lion Pokémon agreed as her eyelids drooped a little.

"Kids! Time to go!" Mirajane suddenly called out, catching their attentions as they saw her waving to them alongside their father and their older sister.

"Huh," the aspiring kunoichi breathed out in relief, "Finally…" she uttered, trotting over to them.

"Pua!" the Water type barked happily, hopping onto her right shoulder. She glanced back at her in confusion, perplexed by her happy expression before disregarding it. Her brother continued to watch the stars, trying to see if he could spot the deity Electric/Fairy type once more.

"Mraw?" the Fire Cat Pokémon purred, causing him to look down to see her beside him.

"Heh," he chuckled, squatting down to pick her up in his arms, "Don't worry, little girl," he reassured as he stood up and petted her head gently, "Someday, we'll see Tapu Koko again," he promised, walking over to his family.

"Li…" she concurred before closing her eyes, falling asleep. As all of the groups were about to head their separate ways, Leslie took notice of Dylan trotting up to her.

"Uh… hey…" she greeted nervously, blushing a little, "So… guess we're not gonna see each for a while again…" she realized as she rubbed the back of her head.

"You could always come visit," he pointed out with a smirk, causing her to puff out her cheeks in embarrassment.

"And why would I do that?" she asked while turning away and folding her arms over her chest in a huff.

"Come on, Les," the young Regulus man pleaded, placing his right hand onto her right shoulder, "You and I both need to do training sometimes," he told her, "What better way than to do it together?" he inquired with a shrug of his shoulders. She merely chuckled, turning to face him.

"You always were a terrible flirt," she noted mockingly.

"But it worked, didn't it?" he guessed, leaning his head to hers closely.

"Maybe…" she answered flirtatiously. The two then took notice of how little space there was between their faces, followed by the male stealing a quick kiss by pecking her on the lips.

"Catch ya later, Les," he promised, jogging off to join his family, while she blushed a little out of surprise before grinning.

"Hey, balloon boobs!" Erika yelled, causing her to immediately perk up, "You coming home or what?!" she yelled, making her seethe angrily as steam emitted from her ears.

"Coming…" she muttered out, heading off with her own family.

That evening, the Ketchum family arrived back at their home and went straight to bed. The Unova Champion Master snored loudly in her divan, which was quite a mess, while her parents slept peacefully in their own room. In the meantime, Calvin was at his desk, typing on his laptop and looking at blurred images of the Melemele guardian deity as apparently no one was ever able to capture a clear enough picture of it.

"Ugh…" his twin sister groaned, catching his attention as he saw that she had fallen asleep, letting a trail of drool trickle out from her lips.

"Ar?" Popplio barked in confusion, being at her bedside as she blinked. Litten was in the room as well, resting upon her master's bed until she noticed him still awake and hard at work.

"Huh…" he yawned deeply, evidently fatigued as his eyes started to droop a little, "Tapu Koko…" he uttered, viewing a more finite image of a painting depicting the Land Spirit Pokémon.

"Mrow…" the Fire type's voice suddenly purred pleadingly, making him look over to see her jump onto his shoulder, tugging at his shirt. He blinked in surprise before understanding her intent, grinning.

"Okay, let's get to bed," he concurred, closing his device and picking his partner up in his arms. He got under the covers of his divan moments later, letting out one final yawn before shutting his eyes. However, he perked up as he saw the kitten-like creature lie down beside his head, smiling at him. He smiled back before falling completely asleep.

 **A Rocky Start**

Flocks of Wingull soared overhead at dawn, passing by the household as the sun was slowly rising. Ash and Mirajane had already woken up and were preparing breakfast, followed by their eldest daughter coming out of her room, having messy hair as she sat down on the living room couch, watching television as she awaited her meal. Inside the twins' room, Litten was the first to awaken, seeing the snoozing form of her trainer. She stood up and inched closer to him, licking his nose to cause him to stir. His eyes slowly opened to see her there, smiling happily.

"Good morning…" he greeted quietly, slowly arising from the bed as he yawned loudly.

"Mraw!" the Fire Cat Pokémon purred happily, jumping into his arms.

"Hugga bugga…" Erika's voice suddenly muttered, catching their attentions as they saw that she was still asleep, having a dopey smile as Popplio was beside her, already awake.

"Ar…" she grumbled, annoyed with how lazy her master seemed. She then raised her head, blowing out a bubble of water from her nose.

"Whoa!" Calvin yelped in surprise, seeing her release it from her nostrils as it floated over the aspiring kunoichi. It then popped, causing water to pour down onto her in an instant as it shocked her awake.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" she shrieked loudly as her voice rang throughout the house.

"Sounds like someone got a rude awakening…" Leslie noted bluntly while changing the channel of the television with the remote. Just then, the door to her twin siblings' room burst open, with the Sea Lion Pokémon frightfully hurrying away from the female of the two.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!" she screamed, having soaked hair as she was trying to catch her. The Water type hopped up onto the kitchen counter desperately, panicking as she saw the short haired girl drawing nearer.

"Erika!" Mirajane shouted, causing her to perk up and cringe to see the take-over wizard looming over her rather scarily, grinning while having an ominous aura surrounding her, "Now don't go starting a fight at the crack of dawn," she advised sweetly and menacingly at the same time.

"Y-Yes, m-m-mom…" she stammered in reply as she shrunk away in fear, while her twin brother had just gotten out of the room, snickering as he saw her go sit at the dining table beside their father, looking quite shocked.

' _Mom's pretty much the only one who can keep her under control…_ ' he inwardly noted. Moments later, the whole family was enjoying a hearty helping of pancakes for breakfast, while Pikachu, Popplio, and Litten ate their bits of Pokémon food from bowls. The latter two creatures glared over at each while chowing away, narrowing their eyes.

"Pi? Pika?" the Electric type among them squeaked in confusion, seeing them both turn away from each other in a huff.

"Those two don't get along, do they?" Mirajane inquired as she sat down beside her husband.

"Hala did say they weren't exactly chummy with each other…" he pointed out while scratching his cheek.

"You should've seen the water balloon Popplio made to wake up Erika earlier," Calvin chimed in after finishing a pancake, "It was huge!" he mentioned while outstretching his arms.

"Yeah…" his twin sister muttered as her hand was on her right cheek out of frustration, taking a quick glance at her elder sibling's chest before developing a wide smirk, "Almost as big as balloon boobs there…" she added mockingly, causing her to instantly widen her eyes and blush in embarrassment.

"Erika…!" she started to yell, clenching her teeth as she saw her giggle in amusement. All of a sudden though, they both saw a small water bubble float towards them, hovering over the aspiring kunoichi's head. It then popped right above her, drenching her hair in water as she yelped.

"Mmm…" she growled afterwards, glancing over to see the Water type laughing aloud as she clapped her flippers in delight.

"Mraw…" the kitten-like creature groaned with a roll of her eyes, going back to finishing her food. A while later as the family had all gotten themselves dressed for the day, the take-over hummed a soft tune as she cleaned the dishes alongside Ash. Everyone else was in the living room watching reruns of old Pokémon battles on the television. The Fire Cat and Sea Lion Pokémon both marveled the sight of their trainers' older sister in battle, commanding a Krookodile as he was up against an Aggron. The Ground/Dark type stamped his feet upon the ground, causing it to shatter and build up before striking his foe, knocking him down in an instant.

"Pua!" the seal-like creature cheered as she got up on her hind flippers and started clapping delightedly.

"Wasn't that way long ago?" Erika asked with her right hand upon her cheek as she lied down on the plush surface of the couch.

"Yeah," Leslie answered, smiling as she glanced up at the ceiling, "It was during the summer after my freshman year at CHS," she pointed out, looking to see herself recall the Intimidation Pokémon to his Poké Ball on the screen, "I fought Shauntal, Marshal, Grimsley, Caitlin, and Iris to get the chance to become Unova's Champion Master," she explained, letting out a giggle.

"I'm sure Iris was shocked to know you were your father's daughter," her mother chimed in, catching her attention as she grinned sheepishly.

"Hmph," the aspiring kunoichi scoffed, puffing out her cheeks in frustration. Just then, they all heard someone knock at the front door, causing them to all perk up.

"I got it!" Calvin declared, jumping up from his seat with Litten and jogging up to the door. He twisted the knob and opened it, blinking in surprise to see that Lillie was there, clutching the black strap of her duffel bag tightly.

"H-Hello…" she stuttered nervously in greeting as she turned her head away. Her bag rustled around a little, catching the Fire type's attention as she growled angrily, knowing what was inside.

"Mraaaww!" she roared angrily, hissing at whatever was inside.

"Hey that's enough, little girl," her master advised, squatting down to pick her up in his arms, "Sorry about that," he apologized with a grin, "I think she's still mad about last night…" he admitted, petting her gently.

"Oh, no!" the girl before him yelped, blushing a little, "I-I mean… I'm the one who got you into that situation in the first place…" she confessed with another stammer, "So… um… I should apologize…" she finished, bowing to him as if asking for forgiveness.

"It's fine," he replied, looking down at his partner, who finally let off a smile towards her after a moment.

"Good morning, Lillie!" Mirajane greeted, taking off her rubber gloves and placing them on the countertop before approaching her, "What brings you up here today?" she asked kindly.

"W-Well…" the blonde haired girl began to stutter as she stood up straight, "I'm here on Professor Kukui's behalf to speak to Calvin and Erika…" she explained, causing both of the twins to perk up in surprise. Moments later, the three children were gathered outside, with the lightning mage of the two adjusting his cap by using his right hand, while his left held onto the Fire Cat Pokémon.

"Mrr…" she growled, noticing the pair of eyes poking out of the sunhat wearing girl's duffel bag.

"So what does this Kukui guy wanna see us for?" the aspiring kunoichi questioned, folding her arms behind her head as Popplio was beside her.

"He just told me that he wanted to see you," Lillie answered, trotting off towards the beachfront. The twins glanced at each other, suspicious of what was going to happen. As they reached the sandy beach, they saw what seemed like a wooden shack with broken red fencing, patched holes in the green tiled roof that had solar panels, and what appeared to be a generator upon the side of the building.

"This is his lab?" the lightning mage guessed while arching an eyebrow, "I always thought it'd look more… uh… labby…" he admitted, unsure of the exact word to use.

"It looks much better from the inside…" the assistant noted with a light chuckle as she turned to face the Ketchum kids, "The professor's been letting me stay here and help him with his research for the time being," she explained, starting to develop a nervous expression, "Although…" she kept going, catching the attentions of those among her, "he does tend to cause some havoc…" she confessed.

"Havoc?" Calvin uttered in confusion, tilting his head to the side. Just then, the group heard a loud crash from inside the building, causing them to all flinch in surprise.

"Aw yeah, Rockruff!" the researcher's voice shouted from within the household, "Give me everything ya got!" he called out, making the blonde haired girl cringe in fright, "My body is ready!" he added.

"Huh…" his helper sighed deeply, slouching down as more sounds of banging and crashing were heard, "The professor's research focuses on Pokémon moves," she started to explain, "and he's mostly a…. 'hands-on' learner…" she mentioned, making the two blink in surprise before glancing at each other again.

"RAH!" a voice suddenly barked loudly, enticing the Sea Lion Pokémon to hop up the steps to the door. A thud was then heard as the others reached the door, with Erika opening it to see Kukui fall onto the floor back first, followed by a certain creature jumping onto him. The short haired girl's eyes widened and sparkled upon seeing what the being was. He was a quadruped, canine that was primarily light brown with a darker brown muzzle, paws, and ear tips. He had large blue eyes, button ears, a short muzzle with a triangular pink nose, and a short tuft of fur on each cheek. Around his neck was a ruff of grayish-white fur stubbed with dark brown pebbles. The dark brown markings on his paws extended to a thin point on each wrist and ankle. He had a grayish-white tail that curled tightly over his back and was covered in fluffy fur.

"A PUPPY!" the female viewing him squealed excitedly. Her reaction brought out a look of confusion from her brother, who had never seen her this giddy. Her teammate was just as perplexed, blinking rapidly.

"Heh heh…" the bearded man chuckled with a wide smile, noticing the trio of people in his home, "Hey there cousins!" he greeted, hopping up onto his feet as the Rock type jumped off of him, "Glad you could make it!" he exclaimed, turning to face them.

"Rah, rah!" his partner barked happily.

"Ar?" Popplio uttered in confusion, tilting her head to the side. Just then, her trainer picked up the Puppy Pokémon in her arms, staring at him intently with a goofy smile on her face.

"Can I keep him~?" she sang sweetly in question, holding him close. He squirmed his way free however though, landing onto the floor and glaring at her.

"Sorry, Eri," Kukui apologized, "but Rockruff here's my partner," he pointed out, allowing him to hop up onto his shoulder.

"Aw…" the aspiring kunoichi moaned disappointedly, much to the chagrin of the Water type as she puffed out her cheeks.

' _What just happened?_ ' Calvin asked himself, glancing down at Litten as she had her head tilted.

"So cousins," the professor began to the twins, catching their attentions, "you two ready to become real Pokémon trainers?" he asked them as they blinked in surprise.

 **X**

The spectacled man's home was actually rather nice, having a fish tank filled with several sea Pokémon, a loft that appeared to belong to his assistant, and an all-around quaint yet comforting feel from the style it had. However, everyone had gathered in the basement, which was more lab-like as the lightning mage had expected. Both he and his sister had their pictures taken by the adult, who was at his desk typing away on his computer, processing their images on what appeared to be licenses.

"What are you making, Professor?" Lillie asked as Nebby popped out from her bag, roaming around the area.

"Their Trainer Passports," he answered, appearing to have finished working on them as he clicked an icon upon the screen by using his mouse, "If they're plannin' to roam around Alola with those two…" he kept going as he glanced over to see both the Water and Fire types playing with the Puppy Pokémon, while the former group's trainers watched them from afar, "then they're gonna need some certification," he stated, hearing something buzz from afar, being his printer as it put out the pictures with the information. After a while, he had finally prepared two booklets, handing them off to the twins.

"So these are our trainer licenses or something?" the male of the two asked as his sister put hers away into her pocket.

"Right on, cuz!" Kukui responded gleefully, standing up from his seat and trotting up to them, "And I got this for ya, too," he mentioned, reaching into his lab coat to pull out a pair of small boxes, opening them both to reveal that there were five shrunken Poké Balls in each one, "Now why don't we head out for a bit?" he suggested, handing the boxes to the new trainers before heading upstairs. Once again, they glanced at each other in confusion, wondering what was bound to happen.

 **X**

"Mraw!" Litten roared as she unleashed a small fireball from her mouth with her red spikes sticking up. It struck the ground, causing several Wingull to scatter as they flew off.

"Nice one, Litten!" her master complimented, pumping his fist.

"Li!" she purred happily upon hearing his praise. They were out on the grasslands just beyond the shores of the Melemele Sea, practicing as the Fire Cat Pokémon extended her claws out, letting them glow a bright white as she slashed through the blades of grass, causing them to fall off and blow away with the wind.

"Those look like some good moves, cousin," the professor's voice chimed in, catching their attentions as they saw him trot over, "After seeing your first fight last night, I figured you could use some help getting those moves upgraded," he explained to the boy.

"And by that you mean training, right?" he inquired, receiving a nod in reply. Just then, they heard the grass rustling, enticing them to glance over and see a figure leap out to land in front of them.

"Yung!" the creature exclaimed, being a long-bodied Pokémon similar to a mongoose. He was covered in brown fur with a yellow stripe down his back and underside. He had short, rounded ears on the sides of his head, a short snout with a pink nose, and a large mouth full of pointed teeth. There were three black claws on each of his four short legs. Despite his length, the creature was thick bodied and had a wide, flat tail with longer fur on the tip. He growled at the kitten-like creature that stood in front of him, enticing her to get into a ready stance.

"Looks like that Yungoos there got stirred up by those hot moves," Kukui concurred as he placed his hand onto his chin, "Why not show him how hot they are?" he suggested to the Ketchum boy, who nodded upon understanding.

"Litten, Scratch!" he commanded to his partner.

"Mrow!" she replied, lunging out as her claws extended, using them to slash at the Normal type. He was sent sliding back across the ground, shaking his head before charging forwards.

"Dodge it!" Calvin cried out, causing the Fire Cat Pokémon to leap up and avoid the attempted strike, causing her foe to grind to a screeching halt, "Now use Ember!" her owner shouted. Letting the spikes on her back pop out, the Fire type shot out a small fireball from her mouth, having it collide head-on with her adversary as he tumbled across the dirt because of the resulting explosion.

"Not bad…" Kukui commented, sounding impressed as he glanced over to see the wide smile on the boy's face.

' _His parents told me he never got this excited over a_ _Pokémon battle…_ ' he noted inwardly with a grin, ' _Guess it's because he's the one doin' it now,_ ' he realized.

"Mrawr!" Litten roared as she slashed at her opponent again, causing him to stumble back and keel over a little.

"All right!" the lightning mage exclaimed in delight, pumping his fists.

"Looks like you got him on the ropes," the professor pointed out, getting his attention, "How 'bout tryin' to catch the little guy?" he recommended.

"Catch him?" he responded, arching in eyebrow in confusion, "Oh!" he yelped out of realization, reaching down to the pocket of his shorts with his right hand to pull out a shrunken Poké Ball. He pressed its center button to enlarge it, while the Fire type ran back over to him. "Here goes…!" he grunted out upon tossing the spherical container towards the Loitering Pokémon. Before he could react properly, he was hit on the head by it, causing it to open up as his body became a red and white mass of light that shot into it. The containment closed up and landed upon the ground, shaking wildly as its button blinked a bright red. Both the new trainer and his partner watched on anxiously, awaiting either the ball to stop moving or for the mongoose-like creature to escape. They then heard the sound of a click, noticing that it had stopped shaking completely as they grinned excitedly.

"Nice one, cuz !" the bearded man complimented, patting Calvin on the back as he smiled gleefully, running over to pick up the spherical container.

"My first caught Pokémon…" he uttered as the Fire Cat Pokémon jumped up onto his left shoulder, catching his attention.

"Mrow!" she purred delightedly, licking his cheek and making him chuckle.

"H-Hey!" he stuttered out, still laughing as she continued to lick him, "Litten, c-cut it out!" he pleaded while laughing on, causing the researcher to crack a grin. All of a sudden though, he noticed the boy shiver for a moment. "I-I… can't… move…" he blurted out, starting to fall backwards until the spectacled man caught him from behind.

"Li, lit en!" Litten yelped worriedly, hopping down from her master's shoulder as he started to come back to his senses, standing up straight and rubbing his head.

"What just happened…?" he questioned, evidently confused.

"Looks to me like Litten just learned how to use Lick," the professor replied, catching their attentions.

"L-Lick?" Calvin stuttered, evidently confused as the man nodded.

"It's a Ghost type move that can sometimes paralyze opponents," he explained to him, "I guess you got the first dose of it there…" he noted jokingly, causing the lightning mage to crack a slight grin.

"By the way…" he began, catching the researcher's attention, "where'd you send Erika and Lillie?" he asked him. Elsewhere on the shores of the island closer to the household, Popplio was unleashing blasts of water through her nostrils onto groups of Slowpoke gathered at the shoreline. Some of them tried to retaliate with their own attacks by shooting water out of their mouths, but the Sea Lion Pokémon easily evaded them as she flipped up.

"Pua!" she barked before firing off another gush of water, blasting the Dopey Pokémon away as they slowly scurried away afterwards. The assistant was watching the Water type happily clap her front flippers upon being victorious.

"Popplio's amazing…" she commented.

"Yeah, she sure is…" a bored sounding voice agreed, being the aspiring kunoichi as she was leaning against a palm tree with her arms folded behind her head.

"Um…" the blonde haired girl started to utter, "aren't you going to try and catch a Pokémon like the Professor suggested?" she asked her, causing her to perk up slightly as she yawned.

"Nah…" she responded to her surprise, "All the ones here are either lame or weak," she pointed out as the seal-like creature was hopping back over to the girls, "I want someone cool and cute like that Rockruff the guy has!" she exclaimed, letting her eyes sparkle excitedly.

"Ar…" her partner moaned, feeling dejected as her head drooped down.

"Well… I don't know exactly where he caught Rockruff…" the girl she was with noted, sheepishly scratching the side of her cheek as the Cosmog popped out of her bag, floating towards Popplio as it giggled happily, "but I do know there's a place where a lot of strong Pokémon are," she told her.

"Really?! Where?!" she questioned, running up to her excitedly to her surprise as she blinked.

"O-Over there…" she stuttered out, gesturing towards the mountain in the distance, "The Professor's told me that it's called Ten Carat Hill," she explained to the short haired girl as they both were looking at it, "He said that it used to be an old trial site for trainers," she added.

"Trial site?" the Ketchum girl uttered in confusion, arching an eyebrow.

"Hey!" a familiar voice called out, catching their attentions along with those of the two creatures as they saw Calvin and Kukui approaching them with both Litten and Yungoos in tow. The latter of the two beings there caught the eye of the aspiring kunoichi, who cringed as she arched an eyebrow.

"What the heck… is that?" she asked slowly as they came to a stop before her, pointing at the Normal type.

"This little guy's name is Yungoos!" her brother responded, picking up the Loitering Pokémon in his arms to show her, "Me and Litten caught him earlier," he noted as he looked down at him.

"Yung!" he greeted, adjusting his lips to form a smile. The short haired girl grimaced still however, causing the professor to arch an eyebrow.

"Ahem," he coughed, getting their attention, "So do you have a new Pokémon to show us?" he inquired to the Ketchum girl upon trotting up to her.

"Oh… uh… no," she answered with a slight stutter, "I just… don't think any of the Pokémon here are my type…" she admitted while scratching her right cheek.

"Hm…" the bearded man hummed, placing his hand onto his chin curiously, "Well, where do you think you could find a Pokémon you'd like?" he questioned.

"In that mountain there!" Erika replied as she pointed over at the land mass, "Lillie told me there's plenty of strong Pokémon I could find there," she explained, seeing him place his hands into the pockets of his lab coat, "so maybe later I could-"

"No," the researched interrupted, causing her to blink in surprise, "Ten Carat Hill's full of strong Pokémon, sure," he began to explain, glancing over at the caverns that led into it, "but they're Pokémon that are tougher than yours or even Cal's," he noted to her as she widened her eyes slightly, "Besides," he kept going, putting his right hand onto her shoulder, "you can't go in there just yet," he advised. She was shocked that he would deny her the chance to find a strong creature, staring over at the opening as she subconsciously closed her left hand into a fist.

"Ar…" Popplio barked worriedly, wondering what her trainer was planning.

 **X**

The day went on with Calvin eagerly training alongside his teammates up to sunset, while his sister just let her partner do what she wanted, eyeing the entrance to Ten Carat Hill closely. Upon getting confirmation from their parents, the twins were invited to stay at Kukui's lab for the evening, having a hearty dinner alongside their Pokémon. However, the aspiring kunoichi barely ate a thing as she was too curious about going back outside and entering the cavern into the mountain.

"Ah…" her brother yawned after finishing his meal, "I'm stuffed…" he muttered, noticing that both Litten and Yungoos appeared to be in the same state, lying upon the floor.

"Ha, ha!" Kukui laughed, going over to the group at the table and lifting the boy up by his shoulders, "Guess we better get you tucked in on the couch over there," he suggested, pulling him over towards the living room, "Lillie, you won't mind having Erika up in the loft there, will you?" he inquired to his assistant.

"Oh, not at all!" she replied, sounding delighted by the prospect, while the Ketchum girl frowned slightly.

"Pua?" Popplio uttered in confusion, tilting her head to the side. Later that evening, Calvin was fast asleep upon the couch with the Normal type and the Fire Cat Pokémon lying upon him and also sleeping. The professor was downstairs in the laboratory itself, snoring at his desk as a trickle of drool left his lips. Upstairs on the loft, the blonde haired girl was donning a nightgown as she rested under the covers upon the couch that stood beside the bookshelf, while the aspiring kunoichi was lying in a sleeping bag on the floor next to her. She could not go to sleep however, simply due to her inability to stop thinking about going to Ten Carat Hill. Despite the warning she received, she still wanted to try and find a new Pokémon there rather than those she had already encountered in the areas around the household. She glanced over to see her partner sleeping beside Nebby, snoozing soundly. Struggling to fall asleep herself, she arose from the floor and got out of her sleeping bag, standing up and tiptoeing over to put her sneakers on.

"Er…" she grunted quietly after slipping them onto her feet, causing the Water type to wake up.

"Ar?" she barked, perplexed to see her owner appearing as if she was going to leave.

"Sh…" she shushed, putting a finger to her lips to indicate that the Sea Lion Pokémon would need to be quiet, "You wanna find a new friend?" she asked her in a whisper with a wink. Reluctant at first, she looked over at the Cosmog sleeping beside her and then her caretaker, noting that they had both fallen sound asleep.

"Ar…" she finally agreed, hopping onto her master's shoulder as she giggled cheekily. As she slowly made her way down the ladder from the loft, the gaseous creature awoke, noticing that its friend was no longer next to her.

"Pew?" it squeaked in confusion, using its arms to crawl over to the ladder and see Erika sneaking out the front door, much to its confusion. Outside, the Ketchum girl turned on a flashlight, waving it around to see her surroundings before going down the steps onto the sandy earth.

"Po, pua?" the Water type questioned, catching her attention.

"I think you know where we're going…" she responded as she pointed the flashlight towards the caverns in the distance. Gulping in fright, Popplio held onto her closely as they ventured to the mountainside. Once they entered the cave, a whole colony of Zubat flew out.

"AAARRRR!" the seal-like creature shrieked in fright, hiding behind her trainer's leg as she shivered.

"Zubats, huh?" Erika muttered, frowning a little, "Meh…" she said, walking further into the tunnel.

"Pua?" her partner barked in confusion, seeing her go onwards, "Po-Po-Pouap!" she stuttered pleadingly, hopping after her. A while passed as they came across numerous different creatures, such as Roggenrola, Carbink, and even Sableye. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to remotely interest the aspiring kunoichi as she kept searching the area.

"Man…" she groaned, glancing around the dark and barren parts of the cave, "Where are all the cool Pokémon?!" she complained while Popplio was blasting away hordes of both the Mantle and the Jewel Pokémon with blasts of water shooting out from her nostrils.

"Pa… pa…" she breathed out, evidently fatigued from having to fight off so many foes.

"Hey, what's that?" her master questioned, catching her attention as she looked over to see her standing at an opening that led into what appeared to be a hollow where the moonlight shined brightly, "Whoa…" she uttered, stepping outside as her teammate trudged after her. She had never seen the moon at such an angle where it shone right above her. Her eyes actually sparkled at the beautiful sight, suddenly causing her to remember the previous night when she had met the Water type for the first time.

"Rah, rah ruff!" a voice barked loudly, snapping her away from her thoughts as she blinked in surprise.

"Bwar?" the Water type uttered in confusion, wondering if she had heard that voice somewhere before. Her trainer immediately started to run off in the direction she caught the sound from. As she made her way further into the clearing, she grinded to a halt and gasped delightedly upon what she saw. There was a Rockruff being attacked by both a Machop and a Spinda, growling in frustration. The Fighting type of the pair against him had both of his hands glow a bright white, attempting to chop at him as he quickly hopped away. In the meantime, the Spot Panda Pokémon began stumbling forward, trying to strike the dog-like creature herself, only to end up accidentally getting in the way as she was hit in the face by the Superpower Pokémon's right hand.

"Sp-Spin… da…" she stuttered out, wobbling back before falling onto her backside, evidently dizzied. Using the opening to attack, the Rock type had his teeth glow white as he bit into his male foe's tail. Before the humanoid creature could attempt to get him off, he started to swing him around wildly, throwing him away in an instant. He smashed into a rock, making a cloud of dust build up around him as Erika beamed excitedly. As it finally cleared, it revealed that Machop had fainted as his eyes were in swirls.

"Rahoooooo!" the Puppy Pokémon howled in victory.

"Awesome!" the aspiring kunoichi exclaimed, pumping her fist, "Okay Popplio, here's the deal…" she began while pulling out a shrunken Poké Ball from the pocket of her shorts, "you hit him with a Water Gun or two, and I-" She stopped talking at the moment she realized that her partner was not beside her, much to her surprise. "Popplio?" she uttered in confusion, glancing around, "Where the heck did you go?" she asked.

"AARRRR!" the Sea Lion Pokémon's voice cried out, causing her to immediately perk up along with the Rockruff.

"Popplio!" she yelped, running back to go and find her. The Rock type saw her heading off, tilting his head out of being perplexed. Back at the entrance to the hollow, the seal-like creature was being surrounded by a group of Sableye, who snickered and grinned eerily.

"Pua…" their opponent barked in frustration. She then leapt up, reeling her head back before letting out a high-pitched scream, releasing a beam of purple hearts that struck her foes in an explosion of dust. As she landed down within the veil though, she did not notice two of the Darkness Pokémon looming behind her, readying their claws. Before she could react properly, she was slashed repeatedly by them, being knocked out of the cloud as she tumbled across the ground. As she came to a stop, she struggled to get up as bruises and scratches were apparent all over her body. Her enemies laughed as they were about to strike, but then saw a shadow come over them, glancing up to see Erika come down and land in front of her teammate.

"What do you think you're doing to my Pokémon?!" she screamed angrily, wielding a kunai that she readied threateningly, enticing the Ghost/Dark types to back up in fright.

"Pa…" the Sea Lion Pokémon uttered, thankful for her trainer's arrival. However, it did not seem to intimidate the gremlin-like creatures for long as they started to close in on them.

"Rah!" a familiar voice suddenly roared, catching everyone's attention as they saw a figure leap into the fray and land before the girl, being the Puppy Pokémon from earlier.

"Rockruff?!" the aspiring kunoichi yelped in shock, while her teammate widened her eyes. Letting the stones around his neck glow a bright white, the dog-like creature jumped up as a multicolored orb of energy shrouded his tail. The orb itself then dissolved into multiple sparkles before turning into several rocks that shot out and struck the Sableye instantaneously. Both the Ketchum girl and the Water type had their mouths gape open in astonishment as they saw their adversaries retreat into the hollow, while their foe landed back on the ground.

"Ruff, ruff!" he yipped, panting tiredly as he trotted up to the short haired girl.

"You saved us…" she uttered, still stunned.

"Rah ruff!" he replied happily while smiling at her.

"Thanks a bunch," she said in gratitude, blinking in realization as she recalled something, "Hey, you wanna have a battle?" she questioned excitedly, surprising him as he blinked, "If we win, you can come with us!" she suggested, enlarging the shrunken Poké Ball she still had. Rockruff merely glanced over to see the fatigued look on Popplio's face, practically begging not to get involved in another battle until she was fully healed.

"Rah!" he yipped with a nod, jumping up and tapping the container with his head, causing it to suddenly pop open. He turned into red light and zoomed into it, making it close as Erika blinked in shock. It shook in her hand for a moment, beeping wildly until it stopped with a click, indicating that the capture was successful.

"Well that was easy…" she muttered, sounding somewhat disappointed. From hearing her tone, the Sea Lion Pokémon growled angrily, hopping up and whapping her on the back of the head with her glowing left flipper. "OW!" she yelped in pain, grabbing at it, "What's your deal?!" she yelled to the Water type.

"Bwar, ar!" she shouted back, pointing out her injuries. She blinked in surprise before realizing what she was upset about, developing a somber look as she picked her up in her arms.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, holding her close, "I should've kept an eye on you over finding a good Pokémon…" she concluded as she smiled at her.

"Bwark!" the seal-like creature barked happily in agreement, laughing with her as the moon continued to shine overhead.

 **X**

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Kukui's voice bellowed from inside the household. His booming tone made Erika shiver as she had gotten back to find out that everyone had learned of her disappearance. Lillie and Calvin were helping tend to the cuts and bruises upon her partner, while her newly caught Rockruff was playfully introducing himself to the other creatures in the living room.

"I'm sorry, Professor…" the aspiring kunoichi apologized, lowering her head, "I should've just taken your advice and caught a Pokémon closer to the house…" she confessed as she closed her eyes.

"Huh…" the researcher sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his head, "Well at least you didn't get hurt…" he noted, putting his hands at his hips, "But remember that if it wasn't for that new Rockruff of yers, you and Popplio could've been in serious trouble," he pointed out seriously.

"Y-Yes, sir…" the short haired girl responded in a stutter with a nod.

"Your sister must really be something to come back from Ten Carat Hill," the assistant mentioned to the Ketchum boy.

"Well, she's usually that stubborn…" he pointed out, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Whaddaya mean _stubborn_?" Erika questioned, puffing out her cheeks and putting her hands at her hips.

"Now, now…" Kukui chimed in pleadingly, "Let's not shy away from the fact that you two are still new to the whole trainer thing," he told them, catching their attentions, "That's why you're both gonna be goin' to school tomorrow," he added with a smirk. The last few words caused the twins to both pale in fright, slowly turning to face the professor with stunned expressions.

"SCHOOL?!" they screamed simultaneously in disbelief.

 **END**

 **Well, I'm sure some of you are surprised by the choices I made for this chapter, but I hope you can understand that it's what I planned out in my head. I wanted both Calvin and Erika to have at least one Pokémon before this upcoming mini-arc, so I think the choices were okay. I'm really excited to write more about what's ahead, but first I need to get through a week of exams. Here's a summary to hold you down in the meantime!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **After their stay with Professor Kukui, Calvin and Erika are enrolled in a school for brand new Pokémon trainers looking to take on the Island Challenge! While they start to make new friends with Hau, one boy challenges Calvin to a battle over wanting to prove that he's not worthy of taking the challenge. Will Calvin win?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

" **Going Wild" is up next, everyone!**


	5. Get Schooled!

**Alola, everyone! I know it's been quite a while since a chapter for this has come out, so I'm glad to get it out now. When last we left off, Erika and Calvin had each caught their first Pokémon! Now the challenge becomes getting them into school for a little more education…**

 **Enjoy!**

 **POKÉMON SUN & MOON**

 **THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME**

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Erika yelled angrily at the dinner table toward her parents, causing everyone else to flinch in surprise, " _You_ guys thought we should go to school?!" she questioned, sounding quite frustrated as she stood up and slammed her hands upon the tabletop. Her mother merely stood up and glared back at her in a somewhat menacing fashion, causing her to immediately grimace and silence herself as she slumped back down into her seat.

"I'm kinda confused about all this, too…" Calvin admitted to get everyone's attention, "I mean, we were homeschooled in Pallet for pretty much most of our lives," he mentioned, scratching his right cheek.

"I was in the Trainer's School in Aspertia City before getting on with my journey," Leslie pointed out before taking a bite of broccoli on her plate, "And I was older than you guys back then," she added.

"That doesn't mean _we_ wanna go on a journey!" her little sister retorted, puffing out her cheeks. From afar, Popplio, Litten, Yungoos, and Rockruff were enjoying their own dinner of Pokémon food in bowls alongside Pikachu, overhearing the family's conversation.

"Hey, Erika…" her twin brother chimed in, catching her attention, "I'm… not exactly against this to be honest…" he admitted, much to her surprise as her eyes widened, "I feel like learning a lot more in order to be better than I was back at the festival," he stated, clenching his fists tightly over his knees.

"Cal…" his father uttered, surprised by his demeanor, but smiled at his willingness to move forward.

"Litten, Yungoos," he said, causing his two teammates to perk up, "let's do our best from now on!" he advised to them with a pump of his fist. Both of them nodded in agreement with smiles on their faces, going back to eating their food moments later. The aspiring kunoichi was stunned by her sibling's behavior, standing up from her seat and heading outside onto the side porch.

"Erika?" Mirajane uttered in confusion, seeing her shut the door behind her on her way out.

"I'll go talk to her," her eldest daughter declared, getting onto her feet and trotting outside to see the short haired girl staring up at the starry night sky.

"When I ran off the night of the festival, I remember thinking about how beautiful this place is sometimes…" she told her, leaning up against the wood railing, "Huh…" she sighed deeply, "I never imagined that those sights would be the reason I'm still around…" she confessed, causing Leslie to laugh as she went up to her and wrapped her right arm over her shoulders.

"Sometimes there's beauty in things you'd least expect," she responded, making her perk up and look over at her, "It's a big world out there, and you've only gotten to barely scratch the surface," she pointed out as she stared up at the crescent moon, "When you take that first step into that world," she kept going, "you're gonna love it," she stated to her, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, whatever…" Erika replied, looking away as rested her head against the railing in boredom. Both Popplio and Rockruff watched on from afar, worried for their trainer as they saw her stay outside as Leslie went back in. She stared back up at the night sky in wonder, thinking about the potential of her time in Alola if it was to be dedicated to becoming a trainer. She took off her flower-like hat, looking at it for a moment.

' _Is this something I even want anymore?_ ' she asked herself.

"Koh, koh!" a familiar voice screeched from afar, causing her to instantly widen her eyes as she noticed Tapu Koko flying about, soaring across the skyline. She clenched her fists, developing a serious expression upon her face as she was ready to affirm herself.

 **Get Schooled!**

"Let's go!" Calvin exclaimed the next morning, bursting through the front door and rushing off down the steps from heading right. Litten and Yungoos chased after him, while his twin sister slowly trotted out, holding her bag over her left shoulder and letting out a long yawn.

"Ar?" the Sea Lion Pokémon barked, getting her attention as she saw her waddle up to her, hopping into her arms.

"Are you gonna make me carry you every time we go somewhere?" she asked her out of annoyance, only to receive a begging expression in response from the Water type, "Ugh…" she groaned with a roll of her eyes, reluctantly holding her as she trotted down the steps. The dog-like creature also followed her down, walking with her on the pathway after her brother.

"Erika, wait!" her sister's voice cried out, making her puff out her cheeks angrily as she stopped, seeing her approach in a denim jacket over a black tank top with a pair of cargo shorts.

"What now, balloon boobs?" she questioned, turning around to face her as she blushed madly, trembling a little.

"Your brother forgot his backpack…" she replied, holding the bag in her right hand, "Plus, Mom and Dad thought you _might_ not know the exact way to the school…" she mentioned to the short haired girl's own embarrassment as she blushed a little. A while passed before the lightning mage arrived at the gateway to the academy, which was a three-story building surrounded by a stone wall, except the opening that other students were heading through. As his teammates arrived, he marveled the sights of the gardens where Pokémon were playing and other trainers were having small battles on the dirt fields beside the building.

"Wow…" he uttered, smiling a little out of excitement at the prospect of joining.

"Mraw?" Litten purred in confusion, having noticed something, "Li, lit en!" she cried out, catching her master's attention.

"What's wrong?" he asked, turning his head. He then saw that his backpack was missing, causing him to gasp in surprise. "Oh, darn it!" he muttered aloud, "I got so pumped about knowing more that I-!"

"Cal!" his older sister's voice cried out, catching their attentions as he saw her jog up to him with Erika and her partners, "Glad to see that you're ready to be a better trainer," she pointed out, handing his bag off to him.

"Thanks, Leslie," he replied in gratitude as he put the straps over his shoulders, "Once we're done here, we'll finally be able to give Hau the battle he deserves," he declared, looking up at the building, "and we'll win!" he added.

"Yung!" Yungoos hissed excitedly in agreement.

"Mrow!" Litten concurred with a nod. The aspiring kunoichi was still uneasy about her brother's easygoing behavior, holding Popplio close to her as she took a deep breath.

"Huh…" she exhaled, causing Rockruff to stare up at her worriedly.

"Rah…" he uttered, tilting his head to the side.

"Come on, I'll walk you two in," the white haired girl offered, gesturing for the twins to follow her into the school area. Moments after they had entered the building, they noticed several people already inside, chatting about. The lightning mage of the trio took notice of Hau there with Lisanna, smiling excitedly.

"Huh?" the ponytailed boy uttered, turning to see the group of his cousins, "Cal!" he cried out, catching his mother's attention as she saw him head off towards them, making her smile as well, "So your folks got you goin' here for a few days too, huh?" he inquired, confusing the twins as they blinked in astonishment.

"A few days…?" the male of the two questioned, evidently perplexed.

"You're only gonna be here for a week, you two," their older sister pointed out, causing them to widen their eyes in absolute shock.

"SO WHY'D YOU MAKE IT SOUND IT'D BE FOR A WHOLE YEAR?!" Erika shouted angrily, causing several adults and other students to glance over at them in confusion, seeing the Unova Champion Master put her hand over the girl's mouth and chuckling sheepishly from embarrassment.

"Dad wanted me to brush up on some things before I start the trials," Hau admitted, placing his hands at his hips, "After this, it's onto beating Tutu!" he declared with a pump of his right fist.

"Your grandpa?" Calvin uttered in confusion, getting a nod in response from him.

"In order for me to clear the Island Challenge here on Melemele, I need to beat the Kahuna, who happens to be Tutu!" he explained excitedly, "After that, I can head onto the next island!" he mentioned.

"The next island?" the lightning mage uttered as he arched an eyebrow, very overwhelmed by all the information he was being bombarded with from his cousin. The aspiring kunoichi just ignored them, seemingly uninterested by the prospect.

"Well if it isn't Leslie Ketchum!" a feminine voice cried out, catching the entire group's attention as they looked to see a young woman with short black hair and oval-framed glasses approaching them. She wore a short-sleeved, white buttoned-down shirt with brown dress pants and a red necktie. "It's been too long!" she noted as she came up to the group.

"Kids, this is Miss Emily," the take-over wizard introduced, gesturing towards her, "She's going to be your teacher for the week you're all here," she told them.

"I'm looking forward to getting you all in tip-top shape for the trials ahead!" the teacher stated proudly as she bowed to the children.

"Yeah, we're ready!" the ponytailed boy declared, while his male cousin merely nodded.

"Incidentally, I hope you all don't mind returning your Pokémon to their Poké Balls for class," the spectacled woman advised, adjusting her glasses, "You'll be allowed to bring them out during the recess period," she reassured.

"Okay," Calvin replied, taking out both of his spherical containments and aiming them towards his partners, "See you soon," he promised, returning them in beams of red light to the containers, shrinking them by pressing their center buttons afterwards. His twin sister did the same before they trotted off with their teacher, heading towards the door to their classroom.

"Huh…" the Unova Champion Master sighed, folding her arms underneath her chest as her aunt stood beside her, "You know, I can't help but get worried for those kids sometimes…" she admitted, starting to smile a little, "but I also get the feeling they're gonna end up being greater than we are," she added, causing her relative to giggle in agreement. Inside the classroom itself, there were thirteen other students seated at their desks, chatting with each other as their new classmates walked in. The boys marveled at the decorative setting of the area, while the lone girl just yawned loudly.

"Okay class!" Emily called out, catching everyone's attention as they silenced themselves, turning to see head up to the front of the room, clapping her hands together as the students all sat down, including the ones that had just arrived, "Are all of you ready to embark on this week long journey to become Island Challengers?!" she asked loudly with an excited pump of her fist.

"YEEAAAAHHH!" most of her class cheered, with only Calvin, Erika, and a few others remaining silent.

"Of course, this whole week may be a refresher for the most of you that are here," the teacher pointed out, "That said, this week-long course is designed to make sure that you're all ready for the trials here in the Alola region," she explained to them as they all listened on, "Now does anyone wish to tell me how other regions conduct their challenges?" she asked the class. One student raised her hand immediately, being a dark skinned girl with bright blue eyes and was fairy muscular in her arms and legs without losing her femininity. She wore a red headband, an orange and brown sleeveless t-shirt, a pair of jean short shorts, black fingerless gloves, and purple sneakers. Her most distinct feature was her short salt-and-pepper colored hair spiked to the right.

"Trainers have to get eight gym badges by challenging different gym leaders in order to be applicable for the Pokémon League!" she answered, cheekily chuckling.

"That is correct," the spectacled woman replied. Upon hearing her, Calvin immediately unzipped his backpack and pulled out a notebook, setting it onto his desk and opening it while readying a pen.

"C-Cal?" his sister stuttered in confusion, seeing him quickly start taking down notes.

"Here in Alola, there is no Pokémon League," Emily said, causing some people to perk up in shock, "We hold the Island Challenge instead of the usual gyms to test trainers' abilities to think outside of the box and encourage them to take risks," she told the students, "It's a longstanding tradition that's valued on each of the four islands," she mentioned.

"What are the names of the other three?" the capped boy at the back of the room questioned, raising his right hand.

"Can anyone answer his question?" the teacher offered.

"I can!" Hau exclaimed as he extended his arm up, "They're Akala, Ula'ula, and Poni!" he listed off while grinning.

"Right on, Hau!" she replied with a wink.

"Thanks for that, cuz," the lightning mage whispered to the ponytailed boy, who smiled.

"I've got your back!" he responded, gifting him with a fist bump. Seeing their interaction caused Erika to turn away in frustration, clenching her fists. As the class went on, she saw her brother continuously take notes on how to catch a Pokémon, the eighteen different types, and even the regional variants of Pokémon originally known in Kanto. While all of this seemed to go over her head out of boredom, he was vigorously writing down almost everything he heard, hoping that the knowledge would make him a better trainer.

 **X**

As time passed and everyone took a quick break for lunch, the Ketchum twins both ate silently next to each other, with the male looking over all of the notes he had taken during the lecture.

"So Litten's weak to Water and Rock types like Popplio and Rockruff…" he muttered aloud, flipping the pages, "and Yungoos doesn't have any advantages as a Normal type…" he noted, letting out a tired breath.

"Boy, you were really into it back there!" Hau whispered, catching his attention as he looked over to see him offering a piece of a malasada to him.

"Oh, thanks," he replied, taking the piece into his hand and eating it, "Hey, didn't you say that the Island Challenge couldn't be taken by your dad when he was your age?" he questioned to him, causing him to perk up as he was chewing on his food.

"Well, yeah," he responded as he swallowed, "but now Tutu's making it so that anyone qualified to be a trainer can take the challenge!" he told him, "This class is just to determine who gets the amulets or not," he mentioned with a cheeky grin.

"A-Amulets?" his cousin stuttered in confusion. As the two continued to talk, the aspiring kunoichi just drank her water in silence, ignoring them as she rested her head against the desk.

' _I knew this was gonna be so boring… even if it is only a week…_ ' she grumbled inwardly, staring ahead at the blackboard that had a lot of writing upon it, ' _How come he's having so much fun with this?_ ' she wondered, looking back at her brother, ' _Is it because he's learning about this world more?_ ' she questioned to herself. She halted her thoughts as she kept eating her sandwich, ignoring everyone else conversing around her. All of a sudden, a bell rung, catching everyone's attention as they looked over to see Emily standing up at the front of the room.

"The recess period has begun!" she declared, causing most of them to immediately stand up and rush out the door, yelling excitedly all the while.

"This must be when we can finally have battles!" Calvin realized, pushing himself away from the desk to stand up and take his notebook and Poké Balls, "Hau, let's go!" he beckoned to his cousin, running out with him excitedly. His sister got up herself, grabbing her two spherical containments from her bags and holding them in the palm of her right hand.

' _Cal… what changed you?_ ' she wondered, walking off after him. Outside on the dirt battlefields, several students from different classes were already having matches, as a Caterpie landed a strong head-butt onto a Magnemite, while a Growlithe shot out balls of fire from its mouth, aimed for a Noibat that was easily evading them. The Ketchum twins and their cousin made their way out, seeing that the four battlefields were already taken by other trainers.

"Hey!" a voice cried out to them, catching their attentions as they looked over to see the girl from before waving them over, enticing them to walk up to her, "I called dibs on the next battle, so I'm lookin' for someone to throw down with," she stated, placing her hands at her hips, "You wanna dance, kid?" she guessed to the capped boy.

"Of course!" he replied with an eager pump of his fist, "My name's Calvin," he introduced, holding his right hand out to her politely, "What's yours?" he asked.

"Paige," the girl responded, taking his extremity into her own and shaking it firmly, "I'm from Oldale Town back in the Hoenn region," she mentioned, gesturing towards herself, "From the looks of it, you're not from around here either," she noted.

"Heh, yeah…" the lightning mage laughed as she sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Me and my sister here are from Kanto," he admitted, gesticulating towards his sibling.

"Cool!" the eccentric girl responded. Just then, they heard a loud thud, glancing over to see a Roggenrola lying upon the ground on his back, while a Machop loomed over him.

"MAAAAHHH!" he yelled in victory, flexing his biceps.

"Field three's battle has ended!" the referee standing at the sidelines shouted, raising his right hand, "Now who's next?" he questioned out to the crowd around him.

"That'd be us!" the salt-and-pepper haired girl replied loudly, catching his attention as he saw her grab her future foe's right hand and raise it up.

"All right, take your positions!" the official declared, enticing the two to quickly rush over. The female took the side furthest away from the building, while her opponent stood at the other.

' _Hau…_ ' he uttered inwardly, enlarging one of the two Poké Balls he had by pressing its center button, ' _I'm ready to show you that I'm not the same as I was last time!_ ' he declared through thought, reeling his arm back.

"Yungoos, let's go!" he called out, throwing the container up into the air. It popped open, and the light spilled forth from it formed into the Loitering Pokémon as it dissipated.

"Yung, yung goo!" he yelled excitedly.

"A Yungoos, huh?" Paige inquired, readying her own container, "Well say hello to my best fighter, Torchic!" she bellowed, tossing it up and letting it open. The luminosity that came out went onto the ground, forming and then dissipating to reveal the Chick Pokémon.

"Tor!" he chirped, kicking about rather excitedly to the confusion of his opponent as he tilted his head slightly.

"A Torchic…" Hau uttered in surprise, "That's a Fire type, too…" he mentioned, rubbing his chin.

"Like Litten, huh?" Calvin inquired upon hearing, closing his hands into fists, "Yungoos, we can do this!" he stated confidently.

"Oh, I like that!" the Hoenn native said, punching the air around her excitedly, "But don't think we'll be kickin' the bucket today!" she exclaimed, "Torchic, Scratch!" she commanded to her partner.

"Tor!" he responded, letting his sharp toes on both of his feet shine a bright white as he charged at his enemy.

"Dodge it!" the lightning mage cried out, seeing the chick-like creature lunge at his teammate. The Normal type managed to hop to the side in order to evade him, getting into a ready stance. "Now Tackle!" his trainer demanded, enticing him to quickly head-butt his adversary at his left hip, causing him to tumble across the dirt.

"Torch…" he growled as he stood back up, shaking his head.

"Not bad…" the salt-and-pepper haired girl commented, folding her arms over her chest.

"Yung, yung!" the Loitering Pokémon chanted excitedly, hopping up and down.

"All right Torchic, use Peck!" Paige called out, flexing her right arm. A light orange, bird-shaped aura surrounded the front of her partner's body as he ran towards his enemy, with his beak aimed at him.

"Tackle again!" the capped boy ordered.

"Yung goo!" the mongoose-like creature responded, meeting his foe head on as they came to a standstill upon contact, growling angrily at each other. Many students around from different classes smiled excitedly as the battle continued, with the Chick Pokémon unleashing round balls of fire from his mouth towards his foe, who narrowly evaded them before using his tail to kick up some dirt, sending it flying into the eyes of his opponent.

"That was Yungoos' Sand Attack!" Hau realized as his eyes sparkled, "Cal's really giving that girl a run for her money!" he noted, evidently excited as Erika glanced over at him for a moment before looking away.

' _Why am I the only one not excited about this?_ ' she asked herself, clenching her left fist as it trembled in frustration.

"Excuse me…" a feminine voice chimed in, catching her attention and her cousin's as they turned and widened their eyes at who they saw. It was a girl with blonde hair styled in waves, wearing a white blouse over a black, strapless top, a long white skirt with black leggings, and white shoes. "Would either of you wanna have a battle?" she offered, "Another field just opened up…" she pointed out, gesturing towards it.

"P-Pyrrha?!" the aspiring kunoichi stammered in shock, "What are you doing here?!" she asked, starting to smile a little, "Weren't you supposed to learning about Dragon Slayer magic back home?!" she continued rather excitedly, "Are you a wizard yet?!" she kept asking as her eyes sparkled.

"S-Slow down, Erika…" the Eucliffe girl stuttered pleadingly as she held up her hands, "I'm here to take part in the Island Challenge like everyone else," she pointed out as she fidgeted with her fingers, twirling them over each other.

"Oh," the short haired girl responded, somewhat disappointed as she turned away slightly.

"In all seriousness though, do you wanna have a battle?" her friend questioned, clasping her hands together in a begging manner.

"Huh…" the Ketchum girl sighed in realization, "Guess it can't be helped…" she muttered, causing the white dragon slayer to beam gleefully.

"All right!" she exclaimed, skipping on over to the open field with her trotting slowly behind.

' _Guess Eri's still not used to the whole trainer thing yet…_ ' Hau realized, letting off a little grin.

"Hey, Hau!" a familiar voice cried out, causing him to glance over and see Kukui approaching with Lillie, "Seems like some great moves are bein' shown out here today!" he pointed out, looking over at each of the battlefields.

"Yeah!" the ponytailed boy agreed, "And Cal was really into it back in the class!" he mentioned, causing the professor to blink in surprise.

"Was he now?" he wondered, folding his arms over his chest.

"Hm…" his assistant hummed worriedly, seeing the battles rage about on the fields, "I normally don't like seeing Pokémon get themselves hurt over and over from these battles…" she admitted, clutching the strap of her duffel bag tightly.

"Yungoos, Bite!" the capped boy yelled to his teammate.

"Yung!" he responded, letting his sharp teeth glow a bright white before he lunged out at the Chick Pokémon, who had no time to react as he raced by and chomped down fiercely.

"Tor…" he uttered before falling over to his left, having swirls in his eyes.

"Torchic!" Paige cried out, rushing over to him.

"Torchic is unable to battle!" the referee announced with his left arm raised, "Yungoos wins!" he declared, gesturing towards the Normal type.

"Way to go, Yungoos!" Calvin complimented, enticing his partner to jump into his arms, nibbling on his left happily, "Thanks for the battle, Paige," he said in gratitude to the dark skinned girl, who chuckled as she returned her partner to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.

"No prob, Cal!" she replied, standing up, "You got the stuff to go pretty far, I'd bet!" she added, making him blink in surprise before smiling.

"Sweet moves there, cuz!" Kukui complimented as the Ketchum boy came over to them, with the Loitering Pokémon still nibbling on his ear, "Though it looks like Yungoos there could really use a snack…" he pointed out as he scratched his cheek.

"Yeah…" the capped boy responded sheepishly with a chuckle, "My parents already had to go through a whole bag of Pokémon food for him alone!" he mentioned, sounding surprised.

"Yungoos are known to be always hungry and have big appetites," Lillie explained, catching his attention.

"For you to be raising one is a testament to your courage in itself," the professor chimed in as he placed his hand upon the mongoose-like creature's head, petting it gently to make him stop nibbling.

"Gooh…" he cooed, resting his eyes for the moment.

"Seems like he could use some rest for a bit," the spectacled man noted.

"Yeah," the lightning mage agreed, taking out his Poké Ball and returning his teammate to it in a beam of red light, "By the way, where'd Erika go?" he asked, glancing around. Just then, he took notice of another battle happening at the field closest to the entrance, being his sister and the white dragon slayer as the former's Rockruff was facing off against a Spinarak.

"String Shot!" the latter trainer called out. The String Spit Pokémon fired a white string from his mouth, which was aimed for his target as he quickly hopped back to avoid it and others that came his way. He then let the stones around his neck glow a bright white, jumping up as a multicolored orb of energy shrouded his tail. The orb itself then dissolved into multiple sparkles before turning into several rocks that shot out and struck the spider-like creature in a smoky blast.

"Rah, rah!" the Puppy Pokémon barked excitedly, prepared for more. However, when the veil cleared, it revealed his foe lying on the ground in a daze, knocked out completely.

"Ah, Spinner!" Pyrrha cried out, hurrying onto the field to pick him up.

"Spinnaaahh…" he groaned.

"Spinarak is unable to continue!" the referee announced with his right arm raised into the air, "Rockruff wins!" he declared, gesturing towards the victor.

"Ruff, rah!" the Rock type yipped in glee, panting afterwards.

"Cool, I guess…" Erika grumbled with a shrug of her shoulders, while her teammate skipped over to her.

"Guess she's still the same as ever," Kukui realized as he shook his head.

"I didn't know Pyrrha was going to try for the Island Challenge, too…" Calvin admitted, blinking in surprise.

"The more friends, the merrier, right?!" his cousin inquired as he wrapped his arm around his shoulders. They both laughed in agreement, catching the attention of the aspiring kunoichi as she frowned. As the recess period went on, almost everyone had gone through at least one battle.

"Rowlet, Leafage!" Hau yelled, enticing the Grass Quill Pokémon to make his wings glow a bright green before spinning around and sending out a torrent of leaves that struck a Wingull head-on, knocking her onto the ground in a flurry of dust.

"Gull…" she squawked in agony afterwards, having swirls in her eyes.

"Yes!" the ponytailed boy exclaimed with a pump of his fist.

"Rooh!" his partner chirped, flying over and perching himself onto his master's shoulder. Almost all of the students clapped at the efforts of their classmates, including the guests and the teachers.

"The recess period isn't over yet, kids!" Emily called out, catching their attentions, "If your Pokémon need healing, we have our school's very own Nurse Joy to tend to them," she explained, gesturing towards the professional beside her, who simply waved to the crowd.

"All right, we get to have more battles!" the lightning mage yelled excitedly, "Maybe I should have Litten go up against a type she has a disadvantage to…" he suggested, muttering aloud ideas he had.

"Heh, heh!" Kukui laughed, "Glad you're challenging yourself and your team, cousin!" he complimented, folding his arms over his chest. Listening on from afar was a boy with short, dark green hair, orange eyes, and light skin. All he wore was a long, buttoned-down black vest over a white shirt with jeans. He seemed distant from everyone else in the area as the battles were going on, but he could not help but overhear the Ketchum boy rattle on about his plans for battle like he was an expert, while his sister yawned out of boredom. Clenching his fist in frustration, he trotted over.

"A sham like you shouldn't even be battling at all…" he muttered, catching the capped boy's attention.

"What did you say?" Calvin questioned, turning around to face the boy as a Froakie was standing beside him.

"I said you're nothing but a sham," he responded with his hands delved into his pockets, "I saw the battle at the festival," he pointed out to his surprise, "Your Litten had a type advantage and you still lost," he noted, causing him to grit his teeth angrily, "I don't know what makes you so special to think you can get an amulet from here, but I don't think you even deserve it," he finished. The Ketchum boy had heard enough, clenching his fists tightly as he started to trot up to his classmate.

"Cal, stop it!" Erika shouted, rushing over and grasping him by his left arm in order to halt him, "This guy's not worth our time," she advised, making him frown ashamedly in realization as he took a slow breath to try and calm himself.

"You're one to talk," the dark green haired boy chimed in again, catching their attentions, "You were even more pathetic than your nitwit of a brother at the festival," he mentioned as the aspiring kunoichi started to growl angrily, "Were you even trying to win then?" he asked mockingly. She was about to reach down to her holster to pull out a kunai, but suddenly noticed another figure come in front of them, being her cousin. He had a somewhat upset look on his face at first, but it quickly faded into an innocent smile.

"So you're strong, huh?" he inquired to the bullying boy curiously.

"Who are you supposed to be?" he questioned back with an arched eyebrow.

"I'm their cousin, Hau!" he replied brightly, "And I know they're still pretty new to being trainers, so that's okay," he pointed out.

"You're the Kahuna's grandson, right?" the opposing boy asked, taking his hands out from his pockets.

"Yep!" the ponytailed boy answered with a nod, as his Rowlet flew over and perched himself upon his shoulder, "What's your name?" he asked.

"Trent," he replied, smirking a little, "If you're really the guy who beat those two, then it might be worth my while to fight you myself..." he admitted.

"Fro!" Froakie croaked in agreement as he stepped forward with a serious expression upon his face.

"I like the sound of that!" the dark skinned boy concurred, looking back over at his relatives, "And you should take on my cousins, too!" he recommended, gesturing towards them as they blinked in surprise, "They might not seem like much to you, but they're both really something!" he stated proudly.

"Hau..." Calvin uttered with widened eyes. The rest of the classmates watched on in anticipation, while Lillie nervously clutched the shoulder strap of her bag.

"Fine," the dark green haired boy finally agreed. The Grass Quill Pokémon floated down from his master's shoulder, staring down his future opponent as he was getting into a ready stance.

 **X**

As the other battles continued, the two trainers stood at opposite ends of the dirt field, with their partners standing beside them. The Ketchum twins, Paige, Pyrrha, Lillie, and Kukui watched on from afar, awaiting the first command from either side.

"Rowlet, you okay with sitting this one out?" the ponytailed boy inquired to his partner, who perked up.

"Koo!" he replied with a simple nod, allowing him to pull out a Poké Ball from his shorts, enlarging it by pressing its center button. Trent did the same, gesturing for the Water type near him to stay back.

"So we're gonna see something new, huh?" the professor inquired, placing his right hand onto his chin.

"Pichu, let's go!" the grandson of the kahuna exclaimed, tossing the container into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth from it formed upon the dirt, dissipating to reveal the small Electric type.

"Pi chu!" he squeaked as he hopped up and down.

"A Pichu!" the Eucliffe girl squealed excitedly, letting her eyes sparkle, "He's so cute!" she exclaimed, causing Erika to cringe.

"Bleh…" she uttered, sticking out her tongue.

"Poochyena!" the dark green haired boy bellowed, throwing out his own Poké Ball that opened up quickly. The luminosity that came out formed and dissipated, revealing the Bite Pokémon as he growled, much to his opponent's surprise as he blinked.

"Oh dear…" Lillie uttered worriedly, holding her bag close to herself. Both creatures on the field got into ready stances, glaring each other down.

"Begin!" the referee standing at the side of the field exclaimed, throwing his right arm down.

"Pichu, Thunder Shock!" Hau commanded as he pumped his right fist. The Tiny Mouse Pokémon had electricity build up around his body before unleashing a small bolt of lightning towards his foe.

"Dodge it!" Trent shouted. His teammate did so in response, charging forwards. "Tackle!" he ordered.

"Rraah!" the Dark type roared, ramming into the mouse-like creature head first and sending tumbling across the dirt in an instant.

"You okay, bud?" his trainer asked, seeing him stand back up and shake his head.

"Pi, pi chu!" he exclaimed as his cheeks sparked wildly. The dog-like creature charged at him again, enticing him to get into a ready stance.

"Hit 'im with a Charm, Pichu!" the ponytailed boy called out.

"Pi… chu!" the Electric type responded, taking a cute pose and winking towards his opponent. A blue light shrouded his body, appearing to flow downwards as he growled angrily. However, his master was not as annoyed, just clenching his right fist.

"Sand Attack!" he demanded. Digging his front paws into the dirt, Poochyena kicked it up and sent it right into his adversary's face.

"P-Pi… Pi chu!" he stammered, coughing as he could not see. Everyone was shocked by the move, especially Calvin as he remembered his Yungoos doing the same in their earlier battle.

"Now use Bite!" the vested boy yelled. Having his teeth shine a bright white, the Bite Pokémon ran in and bit on his foe's pointy left ear, flailing him around wildly as he shrieked.

"Hang in there, Pichu!" his master cried out, "Hit him with another Thunder Shock!" he commanded. Steeling himself, the Electric type let his cheeks spark before firing another jolt of electricity onto his enemy, who grimaced in agony upon taking the attack.

"Toss him!" Trent shouted quickly. The dog-like creature reacted instantly and threw the Tiny Mouse Pokémon away, letting him land on the opposite side of the field.

"Come on, Hau!" the capped boy cheered, "Show him what you've got!" he called out. His cousin let off a little grin at his words, clenching his fists tightly.

"Pichu, give 'im one more Thunder Shock!" he ordered. Standing back up and shaking his head to rid himself of the dirt in his eyes, the mouse-like creature enveloped himself within electricity once more, firing off several small bolts of lightning towards his foe.

"Dodge and use Tackle!" the dark green haired boy yelled, enticing his partner to immediately run towards his opponent, avoiding each of the bolts as they struck the ground, ramming hard into him. He was sent flying into the stone wall past the boy, slamming against it before falling to the ground with swirls in his eyes.

"Pi…" he muttered out.

"Pichu is unable to battle!" the referee announced, raising his left arm up, "Poochyena is the winner!" he declared, gesturing towards the Bite Pokémon.

"Rah!" he barked, heading back over to his master.

"Pichu!" the ponytailed boy cried out, immediately running over to his teammate along with Emily, Joy, and Kukui.

"That Poochyena was no slouch…" Paige whispered from afar, crossing her arms, "Even Pichu's Charm didn't seem to faze it…" she mentioned.

"Yeah, I know…" Pyrrha agreed. Lillie had a very concerned expression upon her face, while Erika seemed disinterested by the whole affair. However, her brother was the opposite, evidently frustrated that even though his relative had defended him earlier, he had been defeated by the bully in battle.

' _I've got your back, cuz,_ ' he told himself, taking a sharp inhale before stomping towards the field.

"Trent!" he cried out, getting his attention, "Are you up for one more battle?" he inquired, readying a Poké Ball in his right hand as he enlarged it by pressing its center button.

"I'd normally pass…" he started to reply, returning the Dark type to his containment in a beam of red light, "but I guess you might have some potential to be worth my while," he admitted, causing him to grit his teeth angrily, "Let's do it," he declared with an anticipated grin. His Froakie did the same, hopping out onto the dirt field.

 **X**

Calvin took his place on the opposite side of his foe, standing within the chalk boundary as he readied his Poké Ball. His cousin had trotted back over to his sister with Pichu asleep in his arms, grinning excitedly out of anticipation for his efforts.

"I'm counting on you…" the lightning mage whispered to the container in his hand, tossing it up. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth from it poured out onto the ground, forming and then dissipating to reveal Litten.

"Mrrowwww!" she hissed as the spines on her back stood up.

"A Fire type, huh?" Trent inquired, placing his hands at his hips, "Bet your Yungoos wouldn't be having a tough time…" he implied. His words brought looks of ire onto the faces of both the opposing trainer and his teammate, while everyone watched on.

"I can tell that those two are ready to unleash an Overheat of passion…" Kukui noted, letting off a grin.

"Begin!" the referee exclaimed from the sideline, throwing down his right arm.

"Litten, Ember!" Calvin commanded immediately. Letting the red spines on her back stick up once more, the Fire Cat Pokémon unleashed a fireball from her mouth, heading towards her opponent.

"Dodge and use Quick Attack!" the dark green haired boy yelled as he swung his right arm out. Shrouding himself in a white outline, Froakie dashed out, evading the fireball as it struck the ground behind him while continuing to charge at his adversary.

"Block it with Scratch!" the capped boy called out quickly. Extending the claws on her front paws as they shined a bright white, the kitten-like creature threw her right out as a means to counter her foe's collision with her. However, she was sent sliding back in an instant, gritting her teeth angrily.

"Mrrraaaww!" she roared as the spines on her back started to stick up again.

"Now Bubble!" the opposing trainer ordered, pumping his right fist. Arching his head back, the Water type suddenly unleashed a flurry of bubbles from his mouth, colliding with his target in an instant before she could react.

"Lit…" she growled, sliding out of the white veil of smoke that followed from the attack.

"Hang in there, Litten!" her master cheered, clenching his own extremities tightly.

"Froakie, Pound!" Trent demanded. Suddenly, the Bubble Frog Pokémon leapt out, having his hands glow a bright white before smacking the Fire type on the head with his right.

"Oh no…" Lillie uttered in a panicked tone, seeing the struck being grimace in agony as she fell down. Her trainer gritted his teeth in frustration, but then blinked as he noticed the close proximity the frog-like creature was to his teammate.

"Use Lick!" he cried out, causing her to perk up instantly. She narrowly evaded getting struck by his left hand by ducking, readying her tongue and licking his left arm. He shivered in shock, jumping back towards his owner.

"Lick, huh?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow before pulling off a grin, "Not bad…" he uttered, "Froakie, Bubble!" he commanded.

"Fro!" his teammate responded, preparing to arch his head back. Suddenly though, electricity sparked around his body, preventing him from moving as he keeled over slightly.

"Wh-What happened?" Paige stuttered in question, evidently shocked.

"So he remembered Lick's added effect…" Kukui noted with a chuckle, "Guess that means Froakie's now in a tough spot," he pointed out, placing his hands at his hips.

"Ember!" Calvin shouted. Letting the red spikes on her back stand up, Litten unleashed another fireball, striking her foe in a smoke-filled explosion before he could even react properly, getting blown back as he tumbled across the dirt. Trent was a bit stunned by what happened, blinking in surprise to see the serious expression that remained on his adversary's face.

"Quick Attack!" he called out, enticing the Bubble Frog Pokémon to race out as a white outline shrouded his form again.

"Use Scratch!" the capped boy commanded with a swing of his right arm. Extending her claws once more, the Fire type lunged out at her foe, meeting him head on in another collision that blew the both of them back along the dirt.

"MRRRRAAAAWWW!" she roared angrily after, having a puff of flames emit from her mouth.

"Fro, kee!" her opponent retorted, standing up firmly.

"This is getting more intense than the battle at the festival…" Hau mentioned, gaining a nervous expression, "You can do it, Cal!" he cheered, making him perk up slightly as he smiled.

"Scratch, one more time!" he ordered to his partner, who readied her claws again as she lunged out.

"Stop him with Bubble!" the dark green haired boy cried out quickly. Puffing out his cheeks, the Water type shot off another flurry of bubbles towards his oncoming foe, but she slashed her way past them, striking him fiercely as he tumbled across the dirt onto his back. "Froakie!" his master yelped, having a concerned expression upon his face as he was slow to get up onto his feet. As he did though, a blue aura began shrouding his form, much to everyone's surprise.

' _That light…_ ' the lightning mage started to realize, ' _It's like what happened with Litten at the festival!_ ' he recalled, recognizing how a similar luminosity was upon his partner during her last attack.

"So Froakie's Torrent is active…" Kukui noted, scratching at his chin.

"Torrent?" Erika uttered in confusion.

"It's an ability that powers up a Pokémon's Water type moves when they're down to the last of their available health in battle," Lillie explained in response, "This doesn't look good for Calvin…" she mentioned, evidently worried.

"Fro…" the Bubble Frog Pokémon growled, creating a blue of sphere of energy in between his hands, having it grow to the size of his own head as everyone widened their eyes, including his trainer.

"Froakie…" he uttered in disbelief, regaining his composure seconds later, "This is it, Calvin!" he declared, catching his adversary's attention as he pointed at him, "Your Litten's finished after this next move!" he shouted, closing his hand into a fist, "Water Pulse!" he bellowed.

"Kee!" the frog-like creature exclaimed as he launched the sphere from his hands towards his opponent.

"Stop it with Ember!" the Ketchum boy cried out quickly. His teammate fired off another fireball, but it was instantaneously blown apart by the oncoming orb of energy, which collided with her in a fierce explosion of water and steam. "Litten!" her owner screamed in shock, while everyone watched on with widened eyes. As the smoke finally cleared, it revealed the Fire Cat Pokémon lying upon her side, groaning in agony. However, she slowly managed to rise up onto her feet again, as people were stunned to see the reddish-orange aura building around her.

"There's that burning heart again…" the professor realized, chuckling, "That Litten's Blaze is gonna take Cal there to new heights…" he mentioned, while the aspiring kunoichi blinked in confusion from his words.

"MRRROOOOWWWW!" the Fire type roared as the aura flared up all over her body.

"Fro…" her adversary muttered with a smirk. His trainer grinned as well, impressed by the tenacity of their opponent.

"Froakie, Water Pulse!" he commanded. The Water type readied another blue sphere of energy in between his hands, leaping up and diving down towards his foe. She, on the other hand, had a light red aura envelop her body before flames billowed within her mouth, flickering wildly as she jumped towards him.

"That's Fire Fang!" Hau exclaimed in surprise, while her trainer was just as stunned. The two battlers collided, creating a large explosion in midair that made wind rush about wildly from the force of it. Two streams of black smoke came down and crashed onto the field afterwards, as both students looked on nervously to see what the result was. As the smoke cleared, it revealed the kitten-like creature of the two lying upon her stomach, groaning in agony, while her adversary breathed heavily as he still stood with plenty of scrapes and bruises along his body.

"Litten is unable to battle!" the referee declared after a moment, raising his right arm up, "Froakie wins!" he stated, gesturing towards the Bubble Frog Pokémon as he keeled over onto his right knee.

"Froakie!" his trainer yelped, hurrying over to his side as he kneeled down next to him, "Are you all right?" he asked in concern, picking him up into his arms.

"Kee…" he croaked in response with a grin.

"Litten, hang in there!" Calvin cried out as he helped get his partner back up onto her feet.

"Mraw?" she purred in confusion, looking to see him there.

"You did your best back there…" he complimented, scratching her chin, "I'm proud of you," he added, making her smile happily before jumping into his arms and nuzzling her head against his affectionately.

"Hey," Trent's voice chimed in, catching their attentions as they saw him walk over, "I had you pegged all wrong," he admitted with a grin, much to their surprise as they blinked, "You really are a good trainer," he added as he stuck out his right hand in offering of a handshake to him, "Definitely someone worth anyone's time if he can almost beat my Froakie with a Fire type…" he mentioned as he lightly chuckled.

"Thanks," the capped boy replied, taking his extremity and firmly grasping it. Everyone clapped happily for the efforts of the two trainers, but Erika remained strangely quiet, clenching her left fist out of frustration.

"Rah?" Rockruff yipped in confusion upon noticing.

 **X**

After the recess period had ended, only a few more lessons followed before the school bell rang in dismissal, with everyone racing out of the doors. The lightning mage's new friends eagerly talked with him about their battles after class, chatting about excitedly over what was to come from the rest of the week. However, his sister trotted along behind them, delving her hands into her pockets as she was deep in thought; something that she never believed she would even do. Her brother had made a multitude of friends on just the first day, but while Pyrrha was the only person she interacted with, she had turned her away after their battle.

"See you all tomorrow!" Calvin cried out in farewell to his classmates, with Hau waving back with the Eucliffe girl before they headed off.

"I wonder where Pyrrha's staying if her parents are around…" the aspiring kunoichi muttered, folding her arms behind her head.

"She's living in a Hau'oli condo until she gets her amulet for the Island Challenge," her sibling replied, getting her attention, "Her parents usually go there for getaways," he mentioned.

"Not like I needed to know…" Erika muttered, walking off ahead of him to his surprise.

"So… did Popplio or Rockruff learn any new moves like Litten did?" he asked, catching up to her.

"Not that I know of…" she grumbled in response, glancing away as they reached their home, trotting up the steps.

"Well, do you wanna have a battle and see?" Calvin asked, causing her to take a sharp inhale, "I took a lot of notes in class, so maybe I can-"

"I'm good, Cal," she interrupted, "You can play with Hau and all your other friends for all I care," she mentioned, sounding frustrated to his surprise.

"What's your deal?" he questioned, arching an eyebrow, "Mom and dad just want us to enjoy all this while we still can," he pointed out, "Who knows if we'll be heading back to Kanto…" he grumbled with a heavy sigh.

"I still wanna go back!" his sister declared, "Don't you?" she asked him. He merely glanced back at her for a moment before twisting the knob to the front door, opening it.

"We're home!" he yelled as he walked in, stopping as he took immediate notice of someone else there.

"Ah, if it isn't the twins!" Hala exclaimed, sitting at the couches with Leslie and Ash, "How was your first day at the school?" he asked, standing up and trotting over to them.

"Great!" the male of the two replied, while the female nervously stood behind him, "I'm learning so many things I never thought I'd even like!" he added excitedly.

"Ha, ha!" the kahuna laughed, "That's great to hear, my boy!" he declared, putting his left hand onto the boy's shoulder.

"Um… what are you doing here anyways?" Erika asked in confusion, chiming into the conversation.

"Ah," the old man uttered in realization, reaching into his coat, "I have something special for your brother here," he said, causing the lightning mage to blink in surprise, "You remember when Tapu Koko saved you from the bridge as you tried to rescue Cosmog, correct?" he inquired to him.

"Yeah," he responded, "After that, I found the stone it had left behind…" he remembered, narrowing his eyes slightly in thought.

"Well, it's now time for you to accept its gift," Hala stated, pulling out a white-colored bracelet with several indentations, along with the z-shaped marking that Calvin had originally seen. The strongest trainer of the island put it into his right hand, allowing him to stare at it in wonder. "This is now your Z-Ring, Calvin," he told him, "Tapu Koko has deemed you worthy of it," he mentioned. Members of the Ketchum family aside from Erika all smiled, while the boy with the new gift grinned excitedly.

' _Thank you… Tapu Koko…_ ' he inwardly said out of gratitude.

 **END**

 **And so Calvin has his Z-Ring! Boy, what a great way to get back into things after the bombshell that was the tenth chapter of "Omni Force: WAR". Hopefully, all of you go check that out as well…**

 **Anyways, as you've probably seen from my recent updates to both my profile and my forum, I'm restarting the threads. It may have been a rash decision, but it was done to clean things out and bring about a fresh, constructive start. So hopefully you can all ask plenty of questions in those new threads. The forum link has been provided from my profile page.**

 **I'd also like to give a quick shout-out to TerrorKing10 and ImmaSupa Stargirl as their characters, Trent and Paige respectively, were OCs made up by them to be rivals in this story. There were many more OCs offered to me, but I don't want to jumble too many characters when there's bound to be plenty around the corner.**

 **So with all that said, let's get into the summary for the next chapter!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **The final day of classes is fast approaching, and the scheduled event is a tournament challenge! With Trial Captain Ilima, Professor Kukui, and Kahuna Hala observing, each trainer will be judged based on testing done in the classroom and in the field! Only eight of the sixteen can get their amulets to move onto the Island Challenge! Will Calvin and Erika get theirs?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**


	6. Tourney On Your Head!

" **The Challenge of a Lifetime" is back, everyone! Sorry for the HUGE delay, for I've been busy with work and recovering from** _ **Infinity War**_ **. Plus, I've got trailers to put up online and outlining to come up with these stories.**

 **As for this chapter, Calvin now has a Z-Ring! I wonder how this may affect him and his sister… Let's find out right now!**

 **POKÉMON SUN & MOON**

 **THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME**

The Ketchum boy slid the new bracelet over his left hand onto his wrist, staring at it in wonder while smiling brightly. The rest of his family aside from his twin sister all grinned as well, while she blinked in surprise, turning towards the island's strongest trainer.

"Um… where's mine?" she asked curiously as she trotted up to him, making him perk up.

"Oh I apologize, Erika," he responded sheepishly, "If Tapu Koko had left a stone for you as well, I would've been grateful to gift you with a Z-Ring," he explained as she lightly gasped in astonishment, which Leslie took notice of.

"Oh…" she uttered somewhat sadly, lowering her head.

"Hey, you'll get one!" her brother reassured as he lightly tapped her right shoulder with his right fist, catching her attention, "After that, we can have a real battle against each other!" he suggested to her excitedly.

"Yeah… I guess so…" she concurred, appearing despondent as she glanced away, causing both of her parents to give off worried expressions.

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed out of concern.

"Well, I wish you both the best of luck for the week!" Hala told the twins, "There are only so many amulets for the Island Challenge this year!" he mentioned, making both of them blink in shock, "Ash, Mira, you two take care of those kids well," he advised with a wave, heading towards the door, "I'll be seeing how they've progressed by the end of their school run!" he added, causing the pair of new trainers to perk up even more out surprise.

"What's he talking about?" Calvin asked as the kahuna left the household through the front door, letting it shut on his way out.

"Sounds like you'll be finding out once you're both done at school," his older sister answered with a grin, causing him to blink out of confusion.

"At any rate, you two are gonna do great," the Omni Force member of the family stated as he placed a hand on their shoulders, "I get the feeling you'll both be amazing trainers," he added, making his son smile happily, while his young daughter just stared off at her sibling's new trinket.

"Dinner'll be ready in just a minute!" Mirajane promised, going back over to the kitchen counter. A while passed as Pikachu set the table alongside Popplio and Litten, who were still glaring at each other as they helped. Yungoos was chomping away at bowls of Pokémon food one by one, even eating out of the bags themselves as the white haired beauty deeply sighed, knowing that she'd have to buy more the longer he was in the house. As she was preparing dinner, Ash, Leslie, Calvin and Rockruff were watching a re-run of the Unova Champion Master's battle against the former champion, Iris. A Hydreigon had just unleashed a powerful, multicolored beam of energy in the shape of a dragon's head towards the white haired girl's Lucario, who jumped back to evade it as it struck the dirt field in a massive explosion of dust and smoke. Leaping out from it moments later, Lucarus rapidly kicked and punched the Brutal Pokémon over and over, striking him down to the ground.

" _And Leslie's Lucario lands a strong Close Combat to the champion's Hydreigon!_ " the announcer exclaimed from the television as the dust on the screen cleared to reveal the Dragon/Dark lying upon the field with swirls in his eyes, " _That gives the challenger the first victory in this full battle for the title of Unova Champion Master!_ " he pointed out excitedly.

"Rah, ruff!" the Puppy Pokémon barked, wagging his tail before the white haired girl pulled him in with her arms, having him sit on her lap.

"So… what's the Z-Ring for, exactly?" her brother asked, catching his father's attention as he saw him looking at the new trinket upon his wrist.

"I think that's something you'll have to find out for yourself," he responded with a grin, making him puff out his cheeks in frustration.

"Well… I guess I'll know sooner or later…" he grumbled, looking over the bracelet again as it hung freely from his wrist. His sister giggled, but then noticed that her other sibling was nowhere in sight. The door out to the side porch had been left open, enticing her to get up with the Rock type still in her arms, trotting over to it. As she started to pull on the handle to close it, the dog-like creature perked up suddenly, jumping out of her arms as he ran over to his trainer, who was staring up at the night sky with an unusually despondent look in her eyes.

"Rah, ruff!" her teammate yipped, trying to get her attention. The girl's sister walked out, shutting the door behind her.

"Dinner's gonna be ready soon," she pointed out to her, failing to make her look over as she lowered her head.

"Why didn't Tapu Koko give me a special stone?" she suddenly asked, causing Leslie to perk up in surprise, "I mean, I helped out at the bridge, too…" she grumbled as she folded her arms, "Is it only because Cal was holding that weird thing that girl carries around?" she inquired, sounding frustrated.

"And here I thought I was kidding myself…" the white haired woman noted with a light giggle, catching Erika's attention finally.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"You're upset that you're not as great as Calvin," her sibling replied, leaning onto the wooden railing of the porch as she saw the girl beside her widen her eyes in disbelief, "You were the least excited about being here and thought Cal was feeling the same," she explained as she smiled, "but he once he got into it and had fun, then you started to feel left out," she concluded, turning her head to face the aspiring kunoichi, "Am I right?" she guessed. The girl just blushed slightly out of embarrassment and turned away in a huff.

"Well, I don't really care…" she lied, "I just wanna go home and be what I wanna be…" she proclaimed, clutching her arms tightly.

"And what do you wanna be now?" her older sibling asked, causing her to blink in surprise as she looked to see her open the door to the house, heading inside. The question rang in her head for a moment as she looked back at the starry sky, wondering if she would spot Tapu Koko again.

"Rah?" the Puppy Pokémon uttered, placing his front right paw onto her leg to get her attention. She merely stared on, contemplating her own purpose of being a trainer in Alola.

 **Tourney On Your Head!**

"You got that from Tapu Koko?!" Trent exclaimed in absolute shock the next day at the school, gathered with Hau, Paige, and Pyrrha around Calvin at his desk, observing his new trinket.

"Well… I technically got the stone from it that Hau's grandpa made a Z-Ring out of…" he responded, "but yeah," he said with a grin, "You guys have any idea what it's supposed to do?" he asked curiously. Everyone around shook their heads in reply, much to his chagrin as he sighed.

"I know Tutu keeps some Z-Rings handy for when challengers beat him, but he's never told me what they're for," he explained, folding his arms over his chest. As the conversation continued between the five kids, Erika sat off all by herself at her own desk, staring ahead blankly at the erased chalkboard. Leslie's words had gotten to her overnight, and she was now wondering whether or not she actually cared about being a potentially good trainer.

"Oh, Calvin!" a familiar voice chimed in, catching the attentions of the group around him. They turned to see that Lillie had entered the classroom, clutching the straps of her duffel bag.

"Hey Lillie!" the ponytailed boy of the group greeted as she approached them, "How ya doin'?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she responded with a smile, "I see that you're all ready for class," she noted to them, while the aspiring kunoichi listened on from afar.

"Aren't you the girl who was hanging out with Professor Kukui yesterday?" Trent inquired while arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you're his new assistant, right?" Pyrrha guessed, receiving a simple nod in reply from the female.

"Though… it's only temporary…" she mentioned, causing the Ketchum boy to perk up in surprise, "I'm staying with Kukui until I can start heading off on my own," she told them.

"On your own?" Paige uttered out of confusion, "Does that mean you're gonna take part in the Island Challenge?" she inquired curiously.

"Um… well…" she tried to respond, blushing a little.

"Oh yeah!" Hau suddenly interjected with a snap of his fingers, "When Cal got that Z-Ring from Tapu Koko, it's because he saved-!" Without warning, Lillie slapped her hand over his mouth, preventing him from speaking any further while surprising the rest of the group, especially the Ketchum boy as he noticed her nervous and scared expression.

"Um… Hau? Calvin?" she said, making the two perk up, "Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" she requested as they blinked in surprise. A little bit later, the three of them were gathered alone outside of the room.

"You don't want us to talk about Nebby?" the ponytailed boy questioned after hearing the girl's words, seeing her shake her head in disapproval.

"See… Nebby was being used by some really awful people… and I don't want them to find out where it is…" she explained, looking into the small opening of her duffel bag to see the little eyes of the gaseous creature, "Could you please keep what happened that night a secret between us?" she pleaded to them. Admittedly surprised at first, the capped boy took on a serious expression.

"You got it, Lillie," he responded, "I'll make sure my sister knows to stay quiet about Nebby, too," he promised with a grin.

"Thank you…" she said out of gratitude. Just then, the bell started to ring, catching their attentions.

"Oh crap!" the dark green haired boy yelped in realization, "We're gonna be late!" he exclaimed, rushing off with his cousin back to where they were before, leaving the sunhat wearing girl behind.

' _I wonder…_ ' she pondered for a moment, clutching the straps of her bag as the Cosmog poked its head out from it.

"Pew?" it uttered in confusion. Back in the classroom, Emily was showcasing a Meowth at the front of the room for the students; some of whom were especially in awe. Unlike the regular Scratch Cat Pokémon, hers had fur of a light blue-gray color, and the tip of his tail, whiskers, digits, and the insides of his ears had a whitish-gray shade. He also had slightly curved whiskers and silvery eyes.

"For those of you wondering, this isn't a Meowth of a different shiny color," she told the class, "Due to Alola's climate, certain Pokémon in Alola have a different appearance than those in other regions," she explained, "Meowth, for example, was introduced to Alola in the past as a gift to royalty," she mentioned, glancing over at her partner, "Unlike the Normal type Meowth you probably all know, this little one here is a Dark type," she finished.

"So it's weak to Bug, Fairy, and Fighting types, right?" Calvin asked as he raised his hand high, catching her attention as she blinked in surprise.

"Yes, that's correct!" she responded with a bright smile. Erika just rested her head against out of boredom, hearing her brother furiously scribble down notes in his book while continuing to listen to the lecture. "Now then…" the teacher began, "I think it's time to talk with you all about the Island Challenge," she declared, reaching into one of the drawers of her desk and pulling out an object that seemed like an oddly-shaped trapezoid in design, with brown leather tassels hanging off of the ends, and a string on top that she held it by, "In order to partake fully in the Island Challenge, a trainer needs to have one of these amulets on their person," she explained, "By the end of this week, you'll be tested in both the classroom and on the battlefield," she told them, "Only the top eight trainers here will receive an amulet from there and take on the challenge," she finished. Almost everyone began mumbling in surprise from what they had just learned.

"Only eight?" one girl muttered nervously.

"And it's not just battling… there's gonna be a test, too!" a boy grumbled, rubbing his fingers through his hair wildly.

"So in the end, we'll end up ranked based on our battling skills and what we've learned in class…" the Ketchum boy realized, rubbing his chin with his right hand.

"Might be dull to take a test, but it'll still be fun to battle, right?" Hau implied, causing his cousin to chuckle.

"Yeah," he agreed, sharing a fist bump with him. Trent, Paige, and Pyrrha all shared their own excited looks of anticipation, while the aspiring kunoichi remained despondent and distant, uninterested by the entire prospect.

 **X**

The next few days passed by quickly as Calvin busily studied and trained with his Pokémon, preparing himself for the upcoming event at the school. His twin sister, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. Though her own Pokémon were practicing themselves, she still was not actively participating in the battles that they took part in. On top of that, she barely paid an ounce of attention in the classroom, not retaining a single thing. She had dreaded the idea of school in the first place, so she was not up to be as accepting as her brother was.

"Aaaaahhhh…" she yawned long and loud from her bed the night before the supposed competition, while both Popplio and Rockruff were asleep upon a small cushion just beside it. As she lied down, she took notice of her brother on his computer at the desk with both Litten and Yungoos beside him on the tabletop, seeing him going through the notes he was typing furiously on his keyboard. She then turned away, shutting her eyes despite the sound of the keys being hit and the light still on in the shared room, trying to fall asleep. She only had them closed for a moment as she felt something land on her head. "Huh?" she uttered, removing the object to see that it was her sibling's notebook as she sat up.

"You haven't studied yet, right?" he inquired, catching her attention, "I got pretty much everything down from class in there, so it'll help," he pointed out. Erika blinked in surprise at his generosity, turning away for a moment. She wanted to just give it back, but realized that he must have already finished getting all of his notes down onto his computer. She dropped it onto the floor, causing both of her teammates to wake up with starts while also making her brother and his partners perk up. He noticed the fallen notebook and then her turning away from him.

"I'm not like you, Cal," she suddenly said, shutting her eyes again with an annoyed expression on her face, "I don't care about this stupid Island Challenge or this dumb region like you do…" she grumbled. Her sibling merely glanced down for a moment in thought, while both the Sea Lion Pokémon and the Puppy Pokémon worriedly looked at her.

"You know why I changed my mind about this place?" he asked rhetorically, making her slightly open her eyes, while the creatures in the room looked over at him, "It's because I've got something that I never really had back in Pallet Town…" he stated, taking off his Z-Ring and looking at it, "Not just the Pokémon, the Island Challenge, and the battles we have…" he listed off, grinning a little, "but all of the friends I've made this week," he finished, causing his sister to widen her eyes in shock, "Even if I had a rough start with some, I really feel like I have more friends than I ever did back home," he confessed, "I don't know why exactly… but it makes me really happy!" he declared.

"Mraw!" Litten purred in agreement, nuzzling her left cheek against his.

"Yung!" Yungoos added happily, allowing himself to be petted by his master.

"Anyways, get a good night's rest," he advised to his sibling, getting up from his chair and turning off the light, "Like it or not, you'll need it for tomorrow," he mentioned with a chuckle, getting into his bed with his teammates jumping onto it and curling up beside him as he lied down, shutting his eyes.

"Ar…" Popplio moaned dejectedly afterwards, looking over at Rockruff, who had a similarly depressed expression.

"Rah…" he agreed as they both then glanced up at their supposedly sleeping trainer. Though her eyes were closed, she was shaking in frustration, affected by her brother's words as she could not purge them from her thoughts.

 **X**

The next morning, Calvin slipped on his clothes, setting his cap as he looked into the mirror of the bathroom to make sure it was straightened on his head. A grin came across his face as he put the straps of his backpack over his shoulders, checking his belt to make sure both of his Poké Balls were there. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door, followed by it opening to reveal his mother there.

"Are you excited?" she wondered, noticing his smile.

"Yeah," he replied with a nod, looking back at the mirror, "I'm ready as I'll ever be for this," he added as he adjusted the Z-Ring upon his wrist.

"I noticed that you didn't pack your music lacrima…" Mirajane mentioned, holding the object in her hands, along with his spiked headphones, "You sure you don't want them for when you-?"

"I'm good, mom," he interjected, making her blink in surprise, "Uncle Laxus' gifts were great, but I need to stay focused for today," he stated. She was admittedly stunned by his new attitude and outlook at first, but simply smiled as it meant that her son was prepared for today's event. His sister, on the other hand, was not. Though he had gotten out of bed and was dressed for the day, she still had her brother's words lingering in her thought process.

' _Friends…_ ' she inwardly grumbled, scowling as she reluctantly put on her flowery hat. She was about to grab her holster that lied upon her bed, but she suddenly stopped herself, thinking still about what her sibling had said.

"You're gonna need this," a familiar voice chimed in, catching her attention as she suddenly saw her bag flung her way, having to quickly catch it as she yelped. She looked and growled to see Leslie there, folding her arms over her chest at the doorway to the bedroom.

"Thanks," she mumbled, getting the bag's strap over her left shoulder.

"You all right?" her elder sister asked, noticing the rather upset expression upon her face, "You seem a little more out of it than usual…" she noted, making her groan angrily.

"I'm _fine_ ," she retorted, walking out of the room after shoving the white haired woman aside, much to her surprise. She had never seen her act hostile, at least when it was not just for a prank. She then saw her brother's notebook lying on the floor next to the aspiring kunoichi's bed. Sighing in realization, she looked to see the twins head out the door, with the female of the pair slowly trudging after her jogging brother.

' _Still not into everything, huh?_ ' she inwardly concurred before heading over to her own room.

"Happy Friday, everyone!" Emily greeted as she clapped her hands together excitedly. The whole class of sixteen students were all gathered in their seats, anticipating the competition to begin right away. "Now as I've said earlier in the week, this contest will have two parts," she started to explain as Calvin listened on nervously, while Erika yawned again, "The tournament portion will take place _after_ you all complete the written portion," she told them.

"Which will be handed out by me," a voice added, catching the entire class' attention as they turned to see someone walk into the room. It was a slender young man with dark skin, medium length light pink hair and light blue eyes, donning a brownish vest with a diamond-like pattern on it, along with a white undershirt, long white pants, brown and white shoes, blue socks, a blue bag strapped to his pants, and a glove on his left hand. On his right wrist, the lightning mage noticed that there was a Z-Ring, making him widen his eyes in surprise. He also was aware of the strange medallion that acted as a hair tie upon the left side of his head as he walked up to the front of the classroom with a manila folder in hand.

"Oh my gosh!" one girl in the room squealed excitedly as she stood up from her seat, "It's Captain Ilima!" she exclaimed, causing several of the other students to perk up with huge smiles.

"Captain Ilima?" the capped boy uttered in confusion, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh, he's a part of one of the eight trials here in Alola!" his cousin quickly responded, catching his attention, "They have captains like him watch out for trial-goers when they go on their journeys to each of the four islands," he explained quickly, "Ilima's the only captain here though," he pointed out to him.

"Huh…" he said in surprise as he blinked. The pink haired boy undid the clamp of the folder, opening it to pull out several sheets of paper.

"This here will be your examination," he told the class, "Once you receive this, you'll notice that they're all going to be different from each of your classmates' copies," he noted, causing everyone except for Emily to perk up in shock, "Each of you will be tested on your knowledge of Pokémon types, items, battle capabilities, moves, and so forth from this entire week," he continued with a grin, "You can start once you get it," he finished, walking down the first row of desks, giving some nervous students, including Pyrrha, the exam paper.

"Boy, this is givin' me chicken skin…" Hau admitted in a whisper to his male relative as he was sweating a little, "Did your dad make you study all night, too?" he asked him.

"Hey, shush!" Trent yelled quietly to the ponytailed boy, making him silence himself instantaneously as he shut his mouth. The boy distributing the test finally made his way to the back row, first gifting the kahuna's grandson with his before moving onto Calvin, and then Erika. Once they received the paper, the two boys took out their pencils and immediately started writing, whereas the girl just glanced down at hers in an uninterested manner.

' _Who really cares about some stupid test?_ ' she inwardly grumbled, ' _Besides Cal and Hau, I doubt anyone's really…_ ' she continued to think, only to stop as she started to realize that everyone else was writing furiously on their papers, including Pyrrha and Paige. She then looked over at her brother, seeing him concentrate as he wrote down what he wanted to on his test, which appeared to be multiple choice and some short answers. Looking at her own exam, it seemed to be arranged in a completely different format from his. Her expression suddenly contorted into one of fear and anxiety, knowing that everyone but her was putting a lot of available effort into their respective tests. She quickly grabbed the pencil she had on her desk and was ready to write until she actually saw the questions. While the lightning mage was quickly going through each question without doubt in his mind, his sister was completely baffled with every question on the paper, sweating madly. Emily took notice and developed a worried expression, while Ilima watched on curiously at all of the students. About two minutes passed by before someone slid their chair back, catching everyone's attention as they saw the Ketchum boy looking over his answers. Once he was done, he trotted up to the front of the classroom, handing it off to the teacher.

"Quick work, Calvin," she commented with a grin, looking at the paper for a brief moment, "Were you just wanting to get it over it?" she inquired to him.

"Wanted to make sure it was all right first," he replied jokingly, causing her to giggle. She handed the paper off to the trial captain, who looked at it with a curious grin. The capped boy just made his way back to his seat, while both his cousin and his rival got up and handed in their tests. Seeing people already having finished the examination while barely beginning brought more and more anxiety onto Erika's face. She began to get so paranoid, she started filling in multiple choice answers with whatever came to mind from the options given, leaving her with the short answer questions.

' _What are the moves of one of YOUR Pokémon?!_ ' she screamed inwardly as she saw the question on the paper. She looked up again to see the two girls her brother had been friendly with turning in their tests. Soon after, everyone but her made their submissions. The pink haired man there was grading the exams at the front desk, making marks on all but a few sheets. Being the last one remaining, the aspiring kunoichi quickly scribbled down whatever she could think of for answers in the blank spaces. Her brother took notice of her erratic behavior, seeing her quickly get up from her seat and jog up to the front of the classroom.

"H-Here you go…" she stuttered nervously to the instructor, giving her the paper she completed.

"Thank you, Erika," she said in gratitude, seeing that she was sweating still, "Are you all right?" she asked out of concern.

"Y-Yeah… I'm fine…" she stammered out, letting a breath of relief leave her lips as she trudged back to her desk, tugging at her shirt to try and cool herself down. A few more minutes went by as Ilima was still grading the last of the tests, carefully marking in red pen what was right and what was wrong.

' _It's okay… it's okay…_ ' the Ketchum girl repeated to herself, trying to calm down as her left foot nervously tapped against the floor. She had guessed for every single question on her exam and was not certain that she had passed. Even so, there was still the tournament portion that she could potentially do better in. Just then, the captain set down his writing utensil, standing up from his seat.

"All right, everyone," he began, catching their attentions, "The exam results will come after today's tournament," he told the class, clapping his hands together, "Now let's all head out and do our best!" he exclaimed to the students, who all, except for a few, cheered in excitement.

"Finally time for me to show everyone what I'm made of!" Hau declared as he pumped his right fist.

"I'm ready to just do my best with my team," Pyrrha confessed while walking beside Paige.

"Me too!" she agreed excitedly.

"Who knows?" Trent suddenly said, catching Calvin's attention, "Maybe we'll have an even better battle today…" he suggested, causing him to perk up in surprise before grinning.

"And we'll bring our a-game," he declared in reply, making his rival smirk with a chuckle. Slowly trudging behind them was Erika, who not only felt isolated in terms of the group's relationship, but also the fact that they likely had a better handle on the exam than she did, which scared her.

 **X**

"Litten, Scratch!" the Ketchum boy commanded outside at the school's dirt fields. His Fire type partner was in the midst of a battle against another student's Ekans, drawing her claws and making them glow a bright white before slashing by her foe, causing him to fall down to the ground in a heap.

"Kaans…" he weakly hissed with swirls in his eyes. A referee at the side of the field raised up his left arm upon seeing the result.

"Ekans is unable to battle!" he declared, gesturing towards the Fire Cat Pokémon, "Litten is the victor, and the match goes to Calvin!" he added.

"Yeah!" the capped boy exclaimed excitedly, allowing his teammate to happily jump into his arms. Since the tournament period had begun, he had already gone through two rounds of battles to the quarterfinals. His friends and his sister also made their way to that point, though the latter was somewhat having more struggles than others.

"Sure is a great day for battling!" Kukui noted from afar, standing beside Emily and Ilima.

"I'm especially impressed with the trio that submitted their tests first," the trial captain pointed out, catching their attentions, "They've shown quite the knack for battling this early on," he mentioned as he placed his hand upon his chin.

"Definitely," the teacher agreed, keeping a close and worried eye on Erika as she lied back against the wall with both Popplio and Rockruff next to her. Just then, she noticed that more people were arriving through the school gates, including Ash, Mirajane, Leslie, and Pikachu. Sawyer and Lisanna were among the groups of parents as well, excited to see their children compete.

"How are things going, Professor?" the Unova Champion Master asked as she approached the shirtless researcher.

"Your brother and sister both made it to the quarterfinals, so I'd say they're doing pretty well for themselves," he implied in response, looking over to see the eight remaining trainers all gathered together with the referee deciding how they would be matched up for the next round. The white haired girl took notice of her sister looking rather anxious, much to her concern as she frowned slightly.

"Our first quarterfinal matchup will be Pyrrha against Calvin!" the official suddenly declared, causing the two students to perk up excitedly as they glanced over at each other.

"I didn't know Pyrrha was enrolled in the school…" the take-over wizard mentioned as she blinked in surprise.

"Me neither," her husband concurred, rubbing the back of his head.

"Guess this means we're finally gonna have that battle after all," a familiar voice chimed in, catching his attention as he and his wife turned around and widened their eyes to see Sunset Shimmer standing there with her arms crossed, "Well, in a sense…" she corrected with a roll of her eyes.

"Sunset!" the white haired woman exclaimed, going over to her and embracing her kindly, as she did the same back, "How have you been?" she asked curiously, pulling herself away.

"Good, all things considered," she responded, "Still trying to get my superhero daughter to go out on a date for once, and my husband is bogged down at Sabertooth…" she listed off, glancing away for a moment, "but that doesn't mean I can miss Pyrrha's big day," she pointed out.

"Or our kids'," Ash added, causing the group to laugh. In the meantime, the two students made their way to the field, standing on opposite sides.

"Mraw!" Litten cried out, catching her master's attention as she had her front right paw upon his ankle, giving him a pleading look.

"All right Litten, go for it!" he responded eagerly, allowing her to jump out onto the dirt field.

"So you're going with Litten again, huh?" the blonde haired girl noted as she readied a Poké Ball, enlarging it by pressing its center button, "Well, she might be cute," she began, "but she's no match for my Fire type!" she bellowed, tossing the container up. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth from it formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal a Cyndaquil.

"Cin…DAH!" he squeaked as his back ignited with flames, much to the opposing trainer's surprise.

"A battle between two Fire types…" he uttered in realization, pulling off a grin, "Sounds like fun!" he exclaimed with a pump of his fist.

"Li ten!" his teammate agreed, getting into a ready stance.

"Let's do this, Cinder!" Pyrrha cheered.

"Cin!" the Fire Mouse Pokémon concurred as he prepared himself.

"And… begin!" the referee shouted at the center of the field, throwing his right arm to signal the start of the match.

"Ember!" both trainers commanded. The tufts on the Fire Cat Pokémon's back spiked up as he shot a fireball out from his mouth towards his foe, who also fired off his own as his back remained ignited. The two attacks collided, creating an explosion of smoke at the center of the field.

"Now Quick Attack!" the girl cried out. A white outline shrouded her teammate's body as he lunged forwards in an instant through the smoke, ramming into his opponent head on to send her tumbling back across the dirt.

"Mrr…" she growled as she got back on her feet.

"You okay?" her trainer asked in concern.

"Mraw!" she replied quickly with a nod towards him.

"Okay, then use Scratch!" he ordered, enticing her to draw her claws and make them glow a bright white before jumping out at her enemy.

"Dodge and use Smokescreen!" the Eucliffe girl yelled. Her Cyndaquil hopped away from the attack just in time, puffing out his cheeks before unleashing a blast of black smoke onto the field, veiling it completely from view.

"Li, liten!" Litten roared angrily, coughing within the cloud.

"Don't worry, Litten!" Calvin reassured, getting her attention as she perked up, "Fire off an Ember, straight ahead!" he advised loudly.

"Mraw!" she responded as she nodded, letting the tufts on her back stick up again as she readied a somewhat larger fireball than before, launching it through the smoke as it collided with the opposing Fire type, making him cry out in pain.

"Cinder!" Pyrrha cried out worriedly, seeing the smoke clear to reveal her partner shaking his head as he breathed somewhat heavily.

"All right, Fire Fang!" the Ketchum boy commanded. Having her body become shrouded in a light red aura, the Fire Cat Pokémon lunged out with her mouth ablaze as she was prepared to bite down on her opponent.

"Counter with Quick Attack!" the blonde haired girl called out. Her Cyndaquil regained himself, outlined in a bright white light as he dashed forward to collide with his foe in a fierce explosion. As the battle raged on, Leslie trotted over to her seemingly anxious sister, poking her on the shoulder.

"AH!" she yelped loudly, much to everyone's surprise aside from the battlers as they looked over to see her start to blush out of embarrassment.

"So how was the test?" her older sibling asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"F-Fine…" she stuttered in reply, looking away, "I need to stay focused…" she mentioned, wanting the Unova Champion Master to leave her alone.

"Ar…" Popplio barked worriedly. Rockruff had a similar expression, seeing the white haired girl just respect her sibling's wishes, walking away.

"Is… Erika all right?" Lisanna asked, noticing the lack of interaction between the two.

"She's normally been all fire and vinegar about being in school…" her sister replied with a nervous grin.

"But now…" her husband began, catching their attentions, "She… seems unsure of something…" he pointed out, folding his arms over his chest.

"Come on Pyrrha!" Sunset cheered, causing the other adults to perk up and put their attentions back onto the battlefield.

"Litten, Scratch!" Calvin commanded. His partner lunged forward again with her glowing claws extended, slashing by the Fire Mouse Pokémon as he fell to the ground in a heap.

"Cindah…" he moaned in agony with swirls in his eyes.

"Cyndaquil is unable to battle!" the referee declared with his right arm raised, "Therefore, Calvin moves on to the semifinals!" he announced, gesturing towards him.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed excitedly, letting his partner jump happily into his arms. The blonde haired girl went out and picked up her own teammate in her arms, cradling him gently as she approached the victor.

"Congrats, Cal," she complimented, catching his attention as he saw her come up to him, "Good luck the rest of the way!" she added, "I've got a good feeling you'll have an amulet by the end of this!" she confessed, making him widen his eyes in surprise before smiling brightly.

"Thanks!" he replied in gratitude. The adults there clapped in applause as the two children made their way back to the sidelines, allowing for the other battles to take place. Hau and Trent each won their battles afterwards, leaving only two competitors for the last semifinal spot.

"Our fourth and final match of the quarterfinals will be Paige against Erika!" the official told the crowd, gesturing for the two girls to come onto the field.

"All right, let's hit it!" the former of the two exclaimed excitedly, while the latter just gulped as she slowly trotted out to her place on the field with Popplio and Rockruff beside her. Her nerves were rising as she came to a stop and took a deep breath, still sweating. Her opponent readied a Poké Ball, reeling it back in her right hand after enlarging it.

"Go Meditite!" she called out, tossing the container up into the air. It popped open with the light coming out onto the ground, forming and then dissipating to reveal the Psychic/Fighting type.

"Med!" she exclaimed, thrusting her arms out and palming the air around her. Upon seeing her, the Sea Lion Pokémon put her front left flipper onto her master's leg, catching her attention.

"Pua, pop!" she barked pleadingly with a serious expression on her face, wanting to battle.

"O-Okay then…" the aspiring kunoichi stuttered, allowing her to hop out onto the field. Emily noticed that she had not made the selection herself, developing a concerned expression as were the girl's parents.

"And… begin!" the referee shouted, swinging his right arm down from the center of the field.

"Um, Pound attack!" the short haired girl ordered unsurely. Making both of her flippers glow a bright white, the Water type leapt up and dove down towards her enemy, prepared to strike.

"Heh," Paige chuckled, "Confusion!" she commanded, throwing her right arm out.

"Tyte!" her teammate responded, making her eyes glow a bright purple, suddenly outlining her target in the same light, stopping her in midair.

"Ar?" she uttered in surprise, widening her eyes to find herself unable to move.

"H-HUH?!" Erika yelped out of shock.

"Now throw 'er down!" the perky girl cried out. The Meditate Pokémon swung her arms downwards, causing her opponent to be slammed against the ground in an instant, creating a cloud of dust. Once it dissipated, it revealed Popplio slowly getting back up, shaking her head in agony before giving off a serious expression.

"Yikes…" Hau muttered from afar, watching the battle beside his cousin, "I didn't know Paige was so tough…" he noted, grimacing a little.

"I didn't know she had a Meditite…" Calvin added, having Litten perched on his head, "Guess it's a good thing she didn't go with Rockruff for this fight…" he pointed out as he laughed a little.

"Doesn't look like Popplio's doing any better…" Trent chimed in, catching their attentions as they looked back at the battlefield.

"Now Meditate!" the peppery haired girl yelled, clapping her hands together. Sitting down and getting into a meditative stance, the Psychic/Fighting type closed her eyes, humming as a reddish aura flowed up her body. The aspiring kunoichi blinked in confusion before grinning deviously.

"Hah!" she laughed, "Now you're a sitting duck!" she proclaimed arrogantly, causing her sister to sneer at her angrily, "Popplio, Pound!" she ordered to her partner, who leapt up again with only her right flipper glowing a bright white. The opposing trainer let off a confident grin, spreading her arms out.

"Detect!" she bellowed. Suddenly opening her eyes and making them shine a bright white for a moment, the humanoid-like creature dodged the attack in an instant, much to her enemy's surprise.

"Er…" Erika growled in frustration, clenching her teeth, "Do the Water Gun attack!" she ordered.

"Ar!" the Water type responded with a nod, hopping up and arching her head back before spraying a blast of water towards her opponent, who had her back turned to her.

"Detect again!" Paige shouted. Making her eyes shine white once more, Meditite dodged the water as it struck the ground, creating a cloud of dust in the process. "Now Force Palm!" her owner commanded. Turning around and leaping out from the veil, the Psychic/Fighting type reeled her right arm back, prepared to palm her opponent on her head.

"Uh, Water Gun!" the short haired girl cried out quickly in a panicked tone. The Sea Lion Pokémon unleashed another spray of water in an attempt to stop her foe, but she merely blocked it with her right hand, making it dissipate instantaneously.

"That's some Meditite Paige has got…" Kukui noted with his hand upon his chin, "Using Meditate to increase her attack power and Detect to avoid close attacks…" he added as he grinned.

"On the other hand…" Ilima began, looking worriedly over at Erika with Emily.

"Now Confusion!" the perky girl bellowed. As her eyes shined a bright purple, the Meditate Pokémon suddenly caught her enemy in a bright purple outline, using her psychic hold to send her hurdling down to the ground hard in a flurry of dust.

"Popplio!" the aspiring kunoichi cried out in concern, seeing the dust clear to reveal her teammate lying on the ground, moaning in agony as she slowly arose.

"Oh dear…" Mirajane uttered from afar, clasping her hands together before her chest worriedly, while her husband remained stoic and focused on the battle. His battling daughter continued to sweat and clench her teeth as she had no idea what to do.

' _Come on… Come on…_ ' she begged inwardly, ' _There's gotta be another way we can beat her!_ ' she screamed to herself, ' _Does Popplio even know another move?!_ ' she asked through thought, grabbing at her head. Seeing her growing confusion and frustration, Rockruff developed a serious expression before turning towards the battlefield.

"Rah, rah ruff!" he barked out to his comrade, catching her attention as she had fully gotten up.

"Ar!" she responded with a nod. Everyone was surprised, especially the short haired girl as it seemed like the Puppy Pokémon was issuing commands for her. Suddenly, the Water type reeled her head back, unleashing a beam of pink-purple hearts in a loud shrieking voice towards her foe, who took the attack head on as she folded her arms over her head to try and endure it.

"Med!" she yelped as she fell over in a heap onto her back.

"That was Disarming Voice!" the professor pointed out, narrowing his eyes, "Question is, did she know that?" he wondered in concern.

"Ruf, ruf!" the Rock type cheered, hopping up and down. His trainer seemed to have regained her confidence for the moment as well, smiling a little.

"Okay, Pound attack!" she called out, enticing her teammate to lunge forward as her front right flipper glowed a bright white.

"Counter with Force Palm!" Paige yelled. The Meditate Pokémon got up onto her feet and leapt out while reeling her right arm back, colliding her palm against her foe's flipper. Both of them were blown from the collision, creating a huge gust of air to blow about. The seal-like creature was sent back further, lying on the ground in a heap as sparks of electricity emanated from her body.

"Ar…" she moaned in agony, struggling greatly to get up.

"Popplio!" her trainer cried out worriedly.

"So that Force Palm paralyzed her…" Calvin realized, narrowing his eyes. Litten was watching the match carefully, seeing her fellow starter Pokémon slowly rise up, glancing over to see the somewhat condescending stare from her.

"Puap…" she growled angrily. Without warning, a light blue aura began to overtake her form as she stood with a serious look in her eyes, much to her opponent's surprise.

"Heads up, Meditite!" Paige advised loudly, "Let's finish this with one more Force Palm!" she ordered, enticing the Psychic/Fighting type to charge towards her foe, who arched her head back. She then unleashed a massive spray of water, much larger than the previous ones as everyone gasped. It struck her target head on, sending her flying into the wall beyond the field as the ground was practically soaked.

"Meh…ty…" the Meditate Pokémon muttered out as she fell onto the earth face first with swirls in her eyes.

"Meditite is unable to battle!" the referee announced upon seeing the fainted creature, raising his left arm into the air, "Therefore, Erika moves on to the semifinals!" he declared, gesturing towards the aspiring kunoichi, who smiled happily for a moment until she saw her partner breathing heavily before her.

"Popplio!" she yelped, kneeling down to pick her up in her arms as Rockruff trotted over.

"Ar…" she groaned with sparks of electricity still emanating from her body.

"Hm…" Ilima hummed curiously. While the spectators clapped for the competitors, the teachers were concerned with how out of control the battle was for the short haired girl, seeing her get her partner tended to by the school's nurse.

"Now that we've entered the semifinals," the official began, catching everyone's attention, "our first match will be Hau against Calvin!" he stated, causing the cousins to perk up in surprise before glancing over at each other.

"Well, it's not the finals," the former of the two began, "but at least we get to have our rematch!" he exclaimed with an excited thumbs up. The Ketchum boy blinked afterwards, remembering the battle they had at the Iki Town Festival only so long ago.

"Yeah," he agreed as he nodded, clenching his right fist, "And we're gonna win!" he declared with confidence in his tone. In the meantime, Trent glanced over at his future opponent, seeing her nervously make sure that her teammate was okay as she was being treated.

"Rah, ruf?" Rockruff asked, catching his trainer's attention.

"D-Don't worry!" she stuttered in reassurance, "We can still win this the rest of the way with you," she pointed out, picking him up in her arms, "Right?" she inquired nervously. Her expression was not a sign of encouragement that the Puppy Pokémon could take in, but he went along with it as he nodded.

"Ruf!" he yipped.

"Huh…" the greenish boy sighed disappointedly upon seeing what conspired.

 **X**

After a little while of down time for the remaining four trainers to prepare for the semifinals, both Calvin and Hau made their way to their respective positions on the field. The latter of the two enlarged a Poké Ball in his right hand, slightly tossing it up and catching it before throwing it out onto the field. It popped open, and the light that came out from it went onto the field, forming and then dissipating to reveal Rowlet.

"Koo!" he chirped excitedly.

"Mr…" Litten growled upon seeing him, still angered by how she was defeated in their last battle. Her trainer understood her frustration, grinning up at her.

"Ready to do this, little girl?" he asked her, catching her attention.

"Li ten!" she exclaimed in response, jumping off of his head and onto the field.

"Go for it, Cal!" Ash cheered loudly.

"Do your best, Hau!" Sawyer yelled. Their respective wives both giggled at their husbands' shared excitement before Sunset approached them.

"Did either of you hear about the new mission Ben's planning for?" she asked, catching their attentions.

"M-Mission?" Lisanna stuttered in confusion, while her elder sister let off a slight grin.

"About the last three stones, right?" she guessed, receiving a nod in reply from the Omni Force squadron leader.

"He thinks it's about time we take action and get all six of them together," she explained as she folded her arms over her chest, "And maybe then…" she continued, suddenly feeling Mirajane's left hand come onto her shoulder.

"Yeah," she agreed with a light grin, allowing her to stop speaking, "So will you need Ash for a few days?" she inquired to her.

"Probably just one to break down what'll happen," she replied with a simple shrug.

"And… begin!" the referee bellowed, swinging his right arm down as the attention of everyone was brought back onto the battlefield.

"Litten, Ember!" Calvin commanded as he threw his right hand out.

"Li!" she responded, letting the tufts on her back spike up as she was prepared to attack.

"Rowlet, use Astonish!" Hau called out, enticing his partner to suddenly fly out, forming a dark aura around his body as he approached his opponent. The aura then became a ghastly apparition that had glowing pink eyes, a wicked smile, and a red energy shrouding it as it struck the Fire type, causing her to stumble back in surprise.

"Litten, you okay?!" her master questioned worriedly, seeing her shake her head as she tried to regain herself.

"So Rowlet has Astonish to make an opponent flinch…" Kukui noted, chuckling a little.

"Oh, so I'm missing the festival rematch, am I?" a familiar voice chimed in, catching his attention as he looked over to see Hala approaching with Lillie beside him.

"It just started, Hala," he responded, placing his hands at his hips, "But where have you been?" he wondered as he tilted his head to the side.

"Guiding Lillie, it seems," the kahuna responded with a hale and hearty laugh. However, the professor's assistant seemed to be very upset.

"I'm sorry…" she apologized, causing them to both perk up, "Nebby wanted to go up to the Ruins of Conflict again, so I got lost…" she confessed, clutching the strap of her duffel bag tightly.

"Hm…" the researcher hummed, "Seems as if Cosmog's really interested in Tapu Koko…" he pointed out.

"Or perhaps… the guardian deities themselves," the strongest trainer of Melemele added as a suggestion.

"Use Peck!" his grandson cried out, catching his attention along with those of the others.

"Counter with Scratch!" Calvin bellowed. Drawing her claws and making them glow, the Fire type lunged out at her flying enemy, who shrouded himself in a light green, bird-shaped aura as he dove down at her. The two collided, going past each other afterwards as Litten landed upon the ground, sliding across it before coming to a stop.

"Mrr…" she growled in frustration, seeing the Grass Quill Pokémon fly off.

"Ember!" her master yelled out, enticing her to let her red tufts spike up on her back before unleashing a fireball aimed for the owl-like creature.

"Rowlet, use Razor Leaf!" Hau shouted quickly. Turning around and making his wings glow a bright green, the Grass/Flying type flapped them forward, sending multiple green glowing leaves clustered together toward his opponent in the form of three different sized arrows. They collided with the fireball in a large explosion that made smoke shroud the entire battlefield.

"Litten, you good?" Calvin called out in question to his partner.

"Lit!" she responded, coughing all the while from the black cloud she was within. The ponytailed boy grinned in realization, snapping his fingers.

"Rowlet, Tackle!" he bellowed, causing his cousin to perk up instantly.

"Litten, turn around and use Scratch!" he shouted into the cloud.

"Mraw!" she responded, drawing her claws again and swiping what was behind her, which turned out to be her foe, who yelped in shock before being struck, tumbling across the ground.

"Roo…" he cooed weakly, trying to get back on his feet.

"Now Ember!" the Ketchum boy ordered. The red tufts spiked up along the Fire Cat Pokémon's spine once more before she launched another fireball from her mouth towards her opponent.

"Rowlet, Razor Leaf!" Hau commanded quickly. Unfortunately, just as his partner made his wings glow green, he was struck by the fireball, causing the remainder of the smoke to clear as everyone saw the owl-like creature tumble out of the field's bounds before flying up, having scrapes and marks of ash all over his body.

"Row…" he chirped out of agony, shaking his head and twisting his face from side to side in order to regain himself.

"He's gotten really good at battling…" Pyrrha noted with a light grin.

"He might even give Trent a run for his money," Paige joked, laughing with her. Hearing them made Erika feel somewhat dejected, watching the bout continue to unfold.

"Litten, Fire Fang!" her twin brother yelled. Engulfing her mouth in flames as a light red aura shrouded her form, the Fire type got into a lunging stance. Realizing that this was potentially his last opportunity to make a comeback against his cousin.

"Counter with Peck!" he commanded to his partner.

"Koo!" he replied, flying up and somersaulting before diving down with the same light green, bird-shaped aura shrouding his form. His target jumped at him, biting down upon impact, creating an explosion in midair with black smoke to follow. One of the two fighters appeared to have fallen as something flew out from the cloud and crashed into the ground. The Fire Cat Pokémon then landed safely on the ground, maintaining a serious poise as she no idea if her foe was still able to continue. As the dust finally settled, it revealed that Rowlet was lying upon the ground with swirls in his eyes, moaning in pain.

"Rowlet is unable to battle!" the referee declared after a moment to assess the situation, raising his left arm up, "Therefore, Calvin will go to the final round!" he announced, causing the crowd to cheer excitedly.

"That's my boy!" Ash cried out happily.

"Oh, honey…" his wife muttered with a giggle and a roll of her eyes.

"We did it, Litten!" their son exclaimed, allowing his partner to jump into his arms for a gracious hug.

"Rowl…" the Grass/Flying type moaned disappointedly, hoping that his master would not be too upset with him. To his surprise, he was picked up in his arms and smiled at.

"Cal finally got us good, huh?" he noted, somewhat upset, "Guess it was gonna happen sooner or later…" he grumbled cheekily, still smiling, "Hey, cuz!" he cried out, catching his attention as he saw him approach, "You better keep up the pace in the final round, ya hear?" he advised seriously, giving out his right hand for a fist bump.

"I hear ya," the Ketchum boy responded in promise, bumping his right fist against the ponytailed boy's. As they then departed from the field, Trent made his way over, causing Erika to perk up as she realized that she was next to battle, jogging over to her side quickly in a panic.

"Rah, ruff!" Rockruff yipped as he followed her over. As the two trainers took their positions, the male readied his Poké Ball, tossing it up into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled out from it formed and dissipated into his Froakie, who promptly landed upon the ground.

"Fro!" he croaked, having a serious expression upon his face.

"All right…" the aspiring kunoichi muttered with a gulp, "Go for it, Rockruff," she told the Rock type, who nodded before running out onto the dirt field.

"A Rock type against a Water type?" Sunset uttered in confusion, turning towards her Omni Force teammate, "Uh… does she know that's not exactly a good matchup?" she wondered.

"Huh…" Ash sighed deeply, folding his arms over his chest. Leslie watched on worriedly, hoping that her sister would at least show more effort to be prepared than in the last battle she partook in, but it was already clear by her choice of Pokémon that it would not be the case.

"And… begin!" the referee shouted, swinging his right arm to signal the start of the match.

"Rockruff, attack!" Erika ordered, throwing her left hand out. Making the rocks around his neck glow white, a multi-colored orb of light appeared on the dog-like creature's tail. The orb then dissolved into multiple sparkles that turned into rocks with a white glow surrounding them, which he subsequently fired towards his foe.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Trent called out. The Bubble Frog Pokémon was shrouded in a white outline as he dashed forward, avoiding the oncoming rocks and slamming into his enemy head on, sending him sliding back across the field.

"Rah…" he growled angrily, lunging out to try and tackle his opponent, who awaited a command.

"Use Bubble!" his trainer ordered, enticing him to arch his head back before launching a flurry of bubbles from his mouth, striking the Puppy Pokémon in an explosion that resulted in a cloud of white smoke.

"Rockruff!" the aspiring kunoichi cried out worriedly, hoping that he was all right. From within the veil, he coughed, breathing heavily upon taking two straight hits.

"Rrrr…" he growled angrily, jumping out from the cloud as his teeth glowed a bright white, about to chomp down on his adversary.

"Dodge it!" the greenish haired boy shouted. The Water type jumped away, having to hop back quickly again and again to avoid each attempted bite from his foe.

"So it's been Rock Throw, Tackle, and now Bite…" Kukui listed off, placing his hand onto his chin.

"And yet, Erika hasn't called for a single one of those moves…" Lillie pointed out, developing a concerned expression.

"Hm…" Hala hummed curiously. His grandson watched on in worry alongside his cousin, seeing the Rock type fail to land a single attack onto his opponent.

"It's like she just another cheerleader in the crowd…" he noted, while Calvin merely nodded in agreement.

"Froakie, Water Pulse!" Trent commanded. Readying a blue sphere of energy in between his hands, the Bubble Frog Pokémon fired it off as his enemy approached, striking him fiercely as he was blown back.

"Arf, ar…" he groaned, struggling to stand up afterwards.

"Come on, Rockruff!" Erika yelled with a panicked expression on her face, "You can do it!" she cheered pleadingly.

"Rah… ruff!" he yipped, standing up fully and glaring down his opponent, who merely stared back at him.

"Finish him off in one attack!" the aspiring kunoichi bellowed. The rocks around the neck of the Puppy Pokémon glowed a bright white once more as an orb of multicolored energy shrouded his tail. A flurry of rocks was then unleashed from it, heading straight for the Water type.

"Water Pulse!" Trent ordered, enticing his partner to form another sphere of blue energy, launching it out. It mowed through the oncoming rocks, much to the dog-like creature's disbelief before he was struck head on in an explosion of white smoke.

"AH!" the Ketchum girl yelped out of shock. A few moments passed before the smoke finally cleared, revealing the Rock type lying upon the ground in a heap with his eyes in swirls.

"Rah…" he moaned in agony.

"Rockruff is unable to battle!" the referee declared upon witnessing the result, raising his right arm up, "Therefore, Trent moves onto the final round!" he announced, gesturing towards the victorious trainer, who returned his teammate to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.

"Heh," he uttered, cracking a smirk.

"Whoa…" Calvin said in awe as his eyes shook. In the meantime, his sister gave off a frustrated expression for a moment after losing, but let it dissipate as she went and picked her comrade up in her arms.

' _It doesn't matter,_ ' she inwardly grumbled, turning around and walking off of the field, ' _I made it to the semifinals, so I automatically should get one of those amulets, right?_ ' she inquired to herself, seeming unsure as she looked rather despondent.

"Hey Calvin!" the greenish haired boy called out, catching everyone's attention as his future opponent perked up, "Why don't we settle this right now instead of making everyone wait a few more minutes?" he suggested honestly, enlarging another Poké Ball by pressing its center button in his right hand. The lightning mage was admittedly surprised by the proposal at first, even initially assuming arrogance from his rival. However, he realized that it was eagerness to have another honest battle, remembering their first bout on the first day of school.

"Litten, you okay with sitting this one out?" he inquired to his partner, who jumped down from his head.

"Mraw!" she replied with a nod, licking her left front paw nonchalantly to clean it. Her trainer smiled, turning back to face his opponent.

"You're on, Trent!" he bellowed, preparing his own Poké Ball as he made his way to his position on the field, enlarging the containment by pressing its center button, "It's not gonna be like last time!" he declared, reeling his arm back.

"Damn right…" the greenish haired boy agreed quietly, tossing up his own spherical container. Calvin did the same, and they both popped open, allowing the light within them to spill out onto the ground. They each formed and dissipated to reveal Poochyena and Yungoos respectively, who glared at each other as the final round was about to begin.

 **X**

"Well, isn't this a great development!" Kukui laughed, folding his arms over his chest.

"I didn't realize our son was so eager to get an amulet…" Mirajane admitted to her husband, somewhat embarrassed for not knowing as she blushed a little.

"All right…" the referee began as he raised up his right arm, "if both trainers are ready," he continued as the creatures upon the field took ready positions, "then begin!" he bellowed, swinging his arm down.

"Poochyena, Bite!" the Kalos native commanded quickly. Letting his teeth glow a bright white, the Bite Pokémon ran out towards his target, prepared to attack as he jumped out at him.

"Use Sand Attack!" the Ketchum boy called out, enticing his teammate to smack his tail against the ground and spin, making a wave of sand fly right into the eyes of his foe's eyes. He fell down to the ground, blinded as he sauntered aimlessly to the shock of his trainer. "Now Tackle!" the lightning mage shouted. The Normal type slammed into his target head first, sending him tumbling across the ground before coming to a stop on his feet.

"Rrr…" he growled, shaking his head and blinking to regain his vision.

"All right, Howl!" his master ordered. Taking a deep breath, the Dark type howled up into the air, suddenly causing a reddish aura to flow up his body.

' _So he's gonna try and finish Yungoos off quickly by increasing Poochyena's attack…_ ' the capped boy realized inwardly, looking over at his teammate.

"Yungoos, Tackle!" he shouted again. The Normal type ran out once more, prepared to slam into his opponent.

"Counter with your own Tackle!" Trent yelled, causing his teammate to ram into his enemy head first, creating a stalemate between them as they clenched their teeth, "Now Sand Attack!" he bellowed, much to Calvin's surprise.

' _He knows that, too?!_ ' he exclaimed through thought. Poochyena placed his front paws against the ground, prepared to fling up dust into his enemy's eyes.

"Watch out!" the Ketchum boy yelped, enticing the Loitering Pokémon to quickly hop back, narrowly avoiding the flurry of dust sent his way.

"Now use Bite!" the greenish haired boy commanded, closing his right hand into a fist. Leaping out, the Dark type bit down onto his foe's neck from the left side with his glowing jaws.

"YUNNNNGGG!" he screeched in pain, writhing to try and free himself.

"Use your own Bite!" his master cried out quickly. Yungoos had his teeth shine a bright white before biting his opponent's neck, making him grimace as they held their ground for a moment.

"Come on, Cal!" Hau cheered from afar.

"Mraww!" Litten roared. The crowd itself watched on and yelled themselves, excited to see how the rest of the battle would unfold. In the meantime, Erika watched on with frustration apparent in her eyes. While she had gotten through all of her previous battles by practically dumb luck, her brother was clearly making an effort to win, issuing commands to work with his Pokémon. Her expression caught the attention of her sister, who sighed very deeply.

"Poochyena, toss him!" Trent bellowed, enticing his partner to spin around with a grip still on his enemy, causing him to suddenly let go as he was flung fiercely away, tumbling across the ground.

"Yungoos!" his trainer exclaimed in immediate concern as he came to a stop, standing back up.

"Yung, goo!" he yelled angrily, turning back to his owner, "Yung, yung goo!" he told him as he blinked in confusion.

"Yungoos…?" he uttered, arching an eyebrow as he was completely perplexed at the moment.

"Tackle!" his rival suddenly shouted, causing him to perk up as he saw the Bite Pokémon charging towards his target. However, rather than dodge the attack, the Loitering Pokémon took it head on, sliding back upon impact.

"Huh?" his trainer uttered out of complete confusion, wondering what he was up to. Just then, he noticed a reddish aura building around him, causing him to gasp in realization.

"What the heck is that?" the Kalos native wondered, unsure of what to make of it, "Tackle again!" he commanded, disregarding the aura. His teammate lunged out and rammed into his foe once more, causing him to tumble across the ground before halting himself. Numerous scrapes lined his body as he breathed heavily, but the energy around him had built up to a point where it was twice as large as his own body, much to the shock of his adversary as he took a nervous step back.

' _A Pokémon can know up to four different moves…_ ' Calvin recalled inwardly, ' _Up until now, I never knew if Yungoos had a fourth…_ ' he admitted to himself, grinning as he threw his right arm out, ' _but now I do!_ ' he exclaimed through thought.

"Yungoos, free the Bide!" he commanded.

"B-Bide?!" Trent stammered in disbelief. Opening his mouth, the Normal type suddenly fired off a white beam of light straight ahead, striking his target before he even had a chance to react in a fierce explosion.

"Oh my!" Lillie yelped in shock, while the rest of the crowd was just as stunned by the sudden development. As the dust finally settled from the impact of the last attack, it revealed Poochyena lying upon the ground in a heap, having his eyes in swirls.

"Poochyena is unable to battle!" the referee announced after a quick assessment of the situation, lifting up his left arm, "Yungoos wins, and therefore…" he continued, gesturing towards the Ketchum boy, "Calvin wins the tournament!" he declared. The lightning mage was stunned for a moment before finally smiling in realization.

"YEAH!" he exclaimed, jumping up excitedly with a pump of his fist. The crowd cheered happily, clapping for the victor as he went up to his teammate on the field.

"Yung goo!" he said happily, hopping up and nibbling on his trainer's ear, causing him to laugh.

"H-Hey!" he stuttered, still giggling, "Cut it out!" he demanded amidst his laughs. Litten ran over and jumped onto him as well, while the Kalos native went up to the Dark type on the field, kneeling down and petting him as he awoke.

"Raw…" he moaned, disappointed in himself.

"It's fine," his trainer reassured, taking out his Poké Ball, "Get yourself a good rest, okay?" he advised to him.

"Rawr," he responded with a nod, allowing him to return him to the spherical container in a beam of red light. Afterwards, the greenish haired boy got up and trotted over to the winner, catching his attention. Without a word, he stuck his right hand out to him, offering for a handshake. Not missing a beat, the capped boy accepted it without a second thought.

"Thanks for the battle, Trent!" he said in gratitude, smiling brightly. While the whole crowd applauded still, Erika glanced away dejectedly, wishing that it had been her instead.

 **X**

"In recognition of his efforts today and throughout this week," Hala began as he gathered around the thirty-two students that partook in the week-long course, "I hereby grant Calvin Ketchum the first Island Challenge amulet!" he declared, gifting the boy with the trinket. He held it in his hands and stared in wonder with his teammates, excited to know that they had the opportunity to start another chapter in their journey.

"You also performed exceptionally well on the written portion," Emily noted, handing him back the paper. He blinked in surprise as he looked at it, smiling as he saw the results.

"A perfect score!" he exclaimed, making his twin sister perk up in shock.

"Actually, you and a few others were the only ones with perfect scores in the class," the teacher whispered in admittance to him with a wink.

"Now we'll announce the remaining seven to get their amulets!" the kahuna declared, holding out the trinkets in his hands, "Hau, please come forward!" he beckoned to his grandson, who beamed.

"Yes!" he yelped happily, jogging over. One by one, he, Trent, and a few others were receiving their amulets to take part in Alola's famed challenge. But with each name called, Erika realized that her chances of being selected were becoming very slim, especially as Paige was apparently selected before her.

' _No way…_ ' she uttered inwardly, lowering her head in frustration, ' _I made it further than any of these guys did…_ ' she noted to herself, clenching her fists tightly, ' _So… why?_ ' she asked through thought.

"And finally, Pyrrha!" the bulky man announced, much to the aspiring kunoichi's shock as she saw the Eucliffe girl go up and receive her amulet for him, graciously bowing afterwards.

"All right, everyone!" Ilima called out, catching their attentions, "If you're prepared to start your trials here, then you'll be journeying out to Verdant Cavern for the trial of my own conjuring, Captain Ilima," he explained, "As such, I'll be expecting all of you on the way there," he announced.

"And last but not least, good luck with all of the challenges you'll face ahead!" Emily added reassuringly, "Although some of you didn't make the cut," she continued, "you still have a chance to catch up if you work hard and do your best!" she exclaimed with a pump of her right fist. A while later, everyone was getting their written exams returned to them, with some marveling in surprise at their scores, while others were shocked and appalled by what they received.

"Miss Erika?" the trial captain uttered, catching the attention of the Ketchum girl as she was given her test, which was folded up, "I believe you should seek tutelage from your brother while he's still with you," he advised rather seriously, "And I'd also like to say that your battling capabilities have a lot to be desired," he added. The harsh reality of his words crashed down onto her, but she remained poised even as she crunched her failed test in her hands.

"Thanks," she muttered out, walking past him aggressively. After a long while, all of the families and students had departed except for the Ketchums and the Hughes.

"Bye everyone!" Pyrrha yelled in farewell as she walked alongside her mother out of the school grounds.

"Hee, hee!" Hau chuckled, "Great to know we're all gonna head out and start our journeys together!" he exclaimed excitedly with a pump of his fist.

"Well… uh…" his male cousin began, gesturing towards his twin sister, who was turned away and despondent.

"Oh… sorry, Eri…" the ponytailed boy apologized in realization. He did not receive a response from her though, as she remained quiet.

"Ar?" Popplio barked in concern, while Rockruff gave off his own worried expression. Just then, they noticed Leslie approach.

"You've still got a chance to get an amulet, you know," she pointed out, folding her arms over her chest while not noticing the rising ire in her sibling as she gritted her teeth, "All you need to do is study hard, battle seriously, and-"

"SHUT UP!" she snapped loudly in interjection, catching the attentions of the families along with Kukui, Hala, Ilima, Emily, and Lillie. She then pointed accusingly towards her brother. "This is all your fault!" she shouted, much to his shock, "If you hadn't saved that dumb cloud back then, I'd be the one with the Z-Ring right now!" she bellowed.

"E-Eri…" her ponytailed relative stuttered, somewhat frightened by her tone.

"The only one at fault here is you, Erika," her sister stated firmly, making her perk up, "You didn't study, you didn't try," she listed off, "And now you're blaming your own brother for all of that?!" she wondered angrily. Before she could say anything else, the aspiring kunoichi punched her in the face with her right fist, running off in tears afterwards.

"Hey, Erika!" Mirajane exclaimed.

"Young lady, get back here!" Ash demanded, but to no avail as she had run off.

"Are you okay, Leslie?" Lisanna asked as she and her husband helped her stay up.

"Yeah, I'm good," she reassured, "Normally, that would've hurt a lot more," she mentioned, looking out to where her sibling had run off to.

"I'm so sorry that you had to see that…" the elder take-over wizard apologized to the teachers.

"No, it's understandable why she'd react that way…" Emily noted, giving off a concerned expression.

"I think there may be a way that we could help her," Ilima admitted, placing his hand onto his chin, "wouldn't you agree, Kukui?" he asked the researcher beside him.

"Yeah," he responded with a nod, "I think I know somethin' we could cook up for her to help," he told the white haired woman, who beamed graciously.

"Thank you so much," she said with a bow. In the meantime, her son stared out worriedly towards where his twin sister had run off to, as her Pokémon remained behind, still shocked by her actions. The sunset shined brightly as the families made their way home.

 **X**

The next morning within the vacation house, Calvin put on his shoes and set his cap properly onto his head. After eating breakfast and brushing his teeth, he was ready to embark on his island challenge, a journey he did not even consider a week ago. Adorning his backpack was his new amulet, gifting him with the title of a trial-goer.

"You're gonna meet up with Hau?" his father asked, seeing him tighten the straps of his bag.

"Yeah, in Hau'oli City," he replied, heading towards the door, "I think we're gonna see if we can find some new Pokémon before taking on the trial," he told him.

"I packed you some extra clothes and new Poké Balls in case you need them!" Mirajane mentioned as the capped boy was about to head out the door.

"Thanks, mom!" he cried out in gratitude, "I'll see you later!" he yelled out, running off to the city.

"Huh…" the take-over wizard sighed happily, "I wish both of them were going together…" she admitted, giving off a saddened expression.

"Is she up yet?" her husband asked, glancing over towards the family room, where Leslie was watching television all by herself.

"Nope," she responded, letting off an exasperated sigh from her lips. Within her little sister's room, the aspiring kunoichi stared out the window at the hill leading up to the ruins, where her brother had been saved by the island's guardian deity.

' _If it gave Calvin a Z-Ring…_ ' she inwardly began, clenching her fists, ' _then it'll give me one, too!_ ' she thought, prepared to face that test as she stood up from her bed.

 **END**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Episode Seven: Trial by Conflict!**_

 _ **Wanting to prove that she's as strong as her brother, Erika heads up to the Ruins of Conflict to obtain her own Z-Ring from Tapu Koko. Will she succeed?! Also, Calvin meets up with Ilima and is challenged to a battle! Will he emerge victorious?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **Phew… Okay, a few housekeeping items to get out of the way. One, I know it's been a while. I've been playing Pokémon games for reference and just to have some fun. Clearly, I have not been spending my time well…**

 **Secondly, writer's block sucks. I have incredible ideas ready to throw out there, but I'm just… unmotivated to get them out to show you guys. I'm sure a lot of readers have probably moved on by now, but I'm alive and well, rest assured. I've thankfully gotten a lot of inspiration lately as a result of My Hero Academia, Marvel, and many other forms of media.**

 **Lastly, my internship… lasted a month. It was difficult and turned out not to be the best fit for me, but I'm good. I have a new job starting next week, so I should be fine. Plus, I'll have more time to continue writing.**

 **With this chapter done, I will be moving to the next one in my schedule, which is in fact for this story, so stay tuned!**


	7. Trial by Conflict!

**Alola, everyone! I'm still in the writing business and ready to bring new chapters of stories I'm really looking forward to publish, especially this one! In the last chapter, we saw Calvin get an amulet and start off his journey, while Erika did not and is plotting to find Tapu Koko in order to get a Z-Ring like her brother's!**

 **What will happen? Well, let's find out!**

 **POKÉMON SUN & MOON**

 **THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME**

"Hey, Hau!" Calvin cried out as he ran towards his cousin, who was standing in front of a building and smiling upon seeing him.

"What's up, cousin?!" he shouted as a greeting in response, gifting him with a fist bump as they met, "You ready to do this thing?" he inquired to him.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he responded with confidence in his tone, "Let's get this started!" he exclaimed as he pumped his right fist into the air.

"Hey…" the ponytailed boy began worriedly, catching his attention, "is Eri gonna come on the challenge with us soon?" he asked curiously.

"Uh… I don't know…" the lightning mage responded as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "She's been stuck in the room ever since what happened yesterday…" he explained, glancing back towards the beachfront, "Dad gave her a talk, but I don't know if that changed anything…" he noted, letting off a deep sigh.

"Well… I get the feelin' she'll be back at it soon," his relative confessed, making him perk up, "And who knows?" he kept going, folding his arms behind his head, "Maybe she'll catch up to us," he suggested. The Ketchum boy laughed, glad that he was being reassuring about his sister.

"So do you know where Ilima is?" he questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"He lives down at the end of the shopping district, but he normally spends most of his time by the marina," the Hughes boy replied, "So… do you wanna meet up with him there?" he inquired to him.

"Sure!" he responded happily, about to head off with him.

"WAIT!" a familiar voice suddenly shrieked, catching their attentions as they turned to see Lillie jogging towards them, breathing heavily.

"L-Lillie?" Calvin stuttered in confusion, seeing her come to a stop and place her hands on her knees, "Hey, are you all right?" he asked, going over to make sure that she was okay. She took a deep inhale to slow her breathing, wiping the sweat off of her forehead.

"I'm fine…" she reassured, standing up straight, "The professor wanted me to come along and help you with something," she explained as she held her duffel bag close, "Do you both have smartphones by chance?" she asked, causing the two boys to blink in confusion. Moments later, they had their devices out, staring at them in wonder.

"So it's a program?" the Ketchum boy inquired as his cousin smiled at his phone, receiving a nod from the blonde haired girl.

"That Pokédex application allows for you to identify any Pokémon, so long as it's been seen before database," she explained to him, showing him how it worked as she tapped the screen, making an image of a Litten appear with some text below it, "And when you spot a Pokémon you haven't seen…" she continued, taking the object and holding it up, "you can take a picture of it and it'll be identified through the app," she finished.

"Cool!" he exclaimed, taking his phone back, "That way, I don't have to worry about asking Hau about any of them…" he noted with a light chuckle.

"Hey, since we're all here," the ponytailed boy began, grabbing his relative and the girl beside him to pull them both close, "let's celebrate the start of our journey with a little picture!" he declared, holding his phone up as it was prepared to take a snapshot of the trio, which it did in a flash of light. Both Calvin and Lillie had surprised expressions in the image, while Hau smiled cheekily.

"Oh, my eyes…" the female of the trio groaned, rubbing them with her arm.

"Pew?" Nebby uttered from within her bag, poking its head out, which the lightning mage took notice of.

"Hey there, Nebby!" he greeted warmly, squatting down to meet its eye level, "How've you been?" he asked.

"Pewpew!" the gaseous creature squeaked happily. Curious, the capped boy activated his new app, hoping to discover information on the mysterious being with it. Instead, he was met with a mere question mark, indicating that there was no data.

"Is there anything you do know about Nebby?" he asked the sunhat wearing girl, who glanced up at the sky for a moment in thought.

"Other than that it's known as a Cosmog, no…" she responded, looking down at it, "Three months ago, I found Nebby and took him with me…" she mentioned, much to the boy's surprise, "Um… Calvin?" she uttered, making him snap away from his thoughts, "Do you usually pick out your own clothes?" she questioned. He blinked in immediate confusion, arching an eyebrow at how unordinary the question seemed to him.

"Well… uh… these were picked out by my mom…" he admitted, gesturing towards his outfit.

"So were my clothes…" she confessed in response, smiling a little, "I've always had to rely on others to help me, since I obviously don't have any other Pokémon on hand…" she pointed out, causing him to widen his eyes slightly in surprise.

"HEY!" Hau suddenly yelled, catching their attentions as they saw that he had already gotten very far into the shopping district, almost at the Pokémon Center, "You're gonna miss out on all the malasadas!" he shouted out to his relative, racing off.

"Malasadas?" Lillie uttered in confusion.

"Apparently they're a special delicacy in Alola," Calvin responded, making her perk up, "Anyways, I better go after him," he said, running off, "I'll catch you later!" he cried out in farewell.

"Bye…" the blonde haired girl uttered, sighing deeply in depression.

"Pew?" Nebby uttered, noticing her expression from within the bag.

 **Trial by Conflict**

"Pika pi!" Pikachu squeaked in front of the door to the twins' bedroom, awaiting a response from the lone occupant as she had yet to even come out. Leslie then came over, sighing out of exasperation and frustration as she folded her arms over her chest, approaching the door.

"Erika, come on out," she requested, "I'm not gonna hit you," she mentioned, remembering the incident that occurred yesterday. However, she received no reply, much to her chagrin as her expression darkened. "Erika!" she yelled angrily.

"Calm down, Leslie," the voice of her mother advised, catching her attention as she looked to see her approach with Ash, who had a cap on his head and a backpack readied, "Erika's probably going through a lot right now," she pointed out seriously.

"We can't just baby her though!" her daughter shouted somewhat worriedly.

"I know," the take-over wizard replied with a simple nod. Just then, the door opened, causing them to perk up and see the aspiring kunoichi standing there in her day clothes with an apparent look of guilt and shame in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for what happened yesterday…" she apologized instantly, surprising everyone slightly, "I shouldn't have hit balloon boobs and run off…" she added. Her comment brought a look of ire onto her sister's face, but she disregarded it as their father squatted down and placed his right hand onto the girl's shoulder.

"You're going to have to apologize to Miss Emily and the others for how you acted," he told her in a stern tone, causing her to immediately nod in understanding, "I know you're upset about how things turned out, but that's no reason to lash out at everyone," he mentioned, letting off a grin towards her.

"Okay, dad," she replied with another nod. He then stood up, allowing for Pikachu to jump up onto his shoulder. At that moment, there was a trio of knocks at the door, causing them to all perk up.

"That's Sunset," Ash realized, turning to his wife, "I'll be back as soon as I can be," he promised, making her smile before giving him a quick kiss on the lips. As he then headed off afterwards, Erika went back into her room, shutting the door behind her. She then reached down to her shorts and took out her two shrunken Poké Balls from her pocket, enlarging them by pressing their center buttons. She then dropped them onto the floor, letting them pop open as the light that spilled out formed and dissipated to reveal Popplio and Rockruff.

"Ar?" the former of the two released yipped in confusion, seeing her trainer go towards the window.

"We're goin' up to the ruins later," she told them as they both blinked in surprise, "That Tapu Koko gave Cal his Z-Ring, so I'm gonna go get mine from it," she declared earnestly with a grin.

"Rah, ruf ruff?" the Puppy Pokémon barked out in concern, causing her to perk up.

"Pua, poaup?" the Water type added in a questioning tone. Understanding that they were both unsure of her intentions, the aspiring kunoichi puffed out her cheeks in frustration, sitting down on her bed.

"Ever since Cal got that darn ring, he's been getting luckier and luckier…" she grumbled, sounding frustrated, "So if I get my own, we'll be back at it, right?" she inquired to her teammates. They glanced at each other unsurely, wondering if their master was still pent up with emotion from her utter failure yesterday. "I should've gotten one of those amulets…" she then muttered aloud, "We made it to the semifinals and everything!" she mentioned angrily, "If it wasn't for that stupid test…" she kept going, clenching her fists in frustration as they trembled.

"Arf!" the Sea Lion Pokémon barked, catching her attention as she looked to see the frustration expression she had, "Ar, arf ar!" she exclaimed, gesturing to both herself and her comrade, "Pua, pop!" she added. Knowing that she was in disagreement over her potential actions, the short haired girl scoffed and looked back out the window.

"Like it or not, we're going tonight…" she stated firmly, much to the dismay of the two creatures as they gave worried looks to each other. Unbeknownst to any of them, Leslie had heard the entire conversation from outside the room, sighing deeply before walking off.

 **X**

It was around noon by the time Hau and Calvin left the local malasada shop, both having one of the delectable treats in their hands as the former of the pair chowed down on his instantaneously.

"Man, these are the best!" he exclaimed delightedly as his eyes sparkled, "I even hear that Pokémon like 'em!" he mentioned, finishing his as he took one last big bite.

"They're good, I guess…" his cousin concurred as he had a small bite of his malasada, "Anyways, do you wanna try and find a new Pokémon before we hit the marina?" he offered to him, gesturing back towards the grassier areas where some creatures were roaming about.

"Sure!" he replied with a wide grin. All of a sudden, a figure zoomed by and tore off a piece of the lightning mage's treat before he could take another bite, much to his surprise as he yelped and fell down onto his rear end.

"Hey, are you all right?!" the ponytailed boy asked, going over to help him back up. They glanced over to see what had come by, being an avian creature with black plumage. His gray beak was long with a pointed, black tip, and he has large blue eyes. There was a white, mask-like marking on his face. That marking extended down his neck before ending in a tuft of feathers on his chest. A large crest swept upward from the back of his head with a red stripe along the top that ended at his beak. The undersides of his wings were white, and he had thin gray legs and feet. With that, he had a flat tail.

"What is that Pokémon?" the capped boy asked, taking out his smartphone.

"It's a Pikipek!" Hau responded just as his relative activated the Pokédex app on his device, "I normally don't see them out in Hau'oli…" he noted, scratching his head in confusion. A picture was taken by the Ketchum boy, allowing him to see the notes on the bird-like being as he chewed on the malasada piece he had taken, standing on a lamppost.

"A Normal/Flying type, huh?" he uttered, grinning as he took out a Poké Ball from his belt and enlarged it by pressing its center button, "I guess this guy might just be what I get!" he declared, reeling his arm back, "Litten, go!" he cried out, throwing the container up into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled out from it formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Fire Cat Pokémon.

"Mraaahh!" she roared, catching the attention of the Woodpecker Pokémon as he glanced over to see her, having finished his food.

"Litten, use Ember!" her master commanded as he stuck out his left hand. Letting the red tufts on her back spike up, the Fire type unleashed a fireball from her mouth towards her target. He quickly dodged it though, flying off before turning around and zooming right for the kitten-like being, having a light red, bird-shaped aura shrouding its form as it dove down.

"That's Peck!" the ponytailed boy yelped in realization.

"Dodge and use Scratch!" his cousin called out, enticing his partner to leap above the Pikipek, drawing her claws as they glowed a bright white before swiping at him with her front right paw.

"Peek!" he screeched in agony, falling onto the ground.

"Nice one!" Hau complimented as he pumped his fists excitedly.

"Scratch one more time!" Calvin ordered. Litten ran towards the fallen bird-like creature, who got up and turned around, opening his beak and unleashing a sound wave that struck his foe. All of a sudden, she began stumbling around crazily, much to the surprise of the two boys.

"That must've been Pikipek's Supersonic!" the kahuna's grandson realized, grimacing a little.

"Litten, hang in there!" the capped boy cried out, but to no avail as his teammate stumbled around still. The Woodpecker Pokémon then made his beak glow a bright white before opening it again, firing off a strong sound wave that struck the Fire type, sending her tumbling back.

"Mraw…" she groaned in agony, shaking her head as she appeared to have regained control of herself.

"And he's got Echoed Voice, too…" the ponytailed boy realized, giving off a worried look.

' _That's a move that gets stronger each time if it's used over and over…_ ' his cousin inwardly noted, trying to think, ' _So maybe…_ ' he started to think.

"Litten, come back for a sec!" he yelled, catching the attention of the Fire Cat Pokémon as she looked over at him, blinking in surprise.

"Li ten!" she concurred after a moment, going back behind him as he pulled out another enlarged Poké Ball.

"Yungoos, I choose you!" he bellowed, tossing the containment out. The light that popped out from it formed on the ground, dissipating to reveal the Normal type.

"Yung goo!" he growled. The bird-like creature he was pitted against readied his beak once more, firing off an even more powerful sound wave towards him.

"Dodge and use Sand Attack!" Calvin shouted, enticing the Loitering Pokémon to run off to the side to avoid the sound wave, followed by sweeping his tail against the ground, brushing dust into the eyes of the Normal/Flying type.

"Pee, pik pek!" he chirped in panic, failing about as he shut his eyes.

"Now Tackle!" the capped boy commanded. Getting into a ready stance, the mongoose-like creature lunged forward and slammed into the Pikipek head first, making him tumble across the pavement before coming to a stop, slowly trying to get back up.

"Nice one!" Hau complimented, while his relative readied an empty Poké Ball, enlarging it by pressing its center button.

"And… go!" he yelled, tossing it out. It connected with the head of the Woodpecker Pokémon, opening up and making him turn into a mass of red light that went into it. The containment then closed, hitting the ground and shaking as the button blinked red. Everyone watched on nervously, waiting to see if the capture was successful. A sound of a click then went off, making them all perk up and smile to see that the ball had stopped shaking and blinking.

"Mraw!" Litten exclaimed, jumping up onto her trainer's shoulder happily as he went over to pick up the Poké Ball, raising it into the air.

"We caught a Pikipek, little girl," he pointed out to her with a wide grin, making her smile as well.

"Way to go, Cal!" Hau complimented again as he approached, "Now you've got yourself half a team!" he mentioned to him.

"Hey… didn't you say Pokémon liked these malasadas?" he inquired, making him blink in confusion. He then tossed up the Poké Ball, allowing it pop open as the light that flew out formed and dissipated to reveal his new teammate.

"Pick!" he chirped, flying down and perching himself on his new owner's right shoulder.

"You want some more?" he offered to him, showing the remainder of his malasada to him. Blinking in surprise for a moment, the Normal/Flying type then pecked rapidly into the treat, gobbling it up the rest of it as Yungoos looked on in dismay, letting his stomach growl loudly.

"Yung…" he moaned sadly, lying upon the ground.

"Pikpik!" the bird-like creature chirped happily, flapping his wings to float just beside his master, who laughed. The ponytailed boy chuckled as well, but stopped as he realized something.

"Hey, where'd Lillie go off to?" he asked, glancing around as he caught the attentions of the others, "Wasn't she with you?" he questioned on.

"Uh, I think she's hanging around the city for now," his relative replied, "We can go looking for her after we find Ilima," he suggested as he looked out towards the marina.

"Did you hear about what's happening?" a voice suddenly asked, causing them to perk up as they saw two businessmen chatting on the sidewalk, "Those Team Skull are always skulking around like they own the place…" he muttered quietly to his colleague, making the kahuna's grandson widen his eyes in realization.

"Ilima should take care of them, so we don't need to worry," the other man there reassured as they walked off.

"What do you think that was about?" Calvin wondered aloud.

"We gotta get to the marina!" his cousin suddenly yelled out, running towards the docks to his surprise.

"H-Hey!" he stuttered, taking out his Poké Balls to return both Litten and Yungoos respectively in beams of red light. He was about to do the same for Pikipek, but he flew off after the ponytailed boy, enticing him to hurry as well.

 **X**

"My… how terrifying…" the trial captain muttered from the marina, having been confronted by two blue haired individuals. They both adorned bandanas over their noses and mouths, giving off the appearance of skulls with their white caps on their heads. Their clothing consisted of black tank tops and shorts with white sneakers, and silver chain necklaces that dangled from their necks with their group's emblem.

"Yo Ilima!" one of them greeted rather angrily, "You gonna give up yer Pokémon today?!" he questioned threateningly.

"I don't remember ever having any intention of doing that," the well-dressed man responded, remaining stoic as he pulled out a Poké Ball with his left hand, enlarging it by pressing its center button, "You've caused enough trouble for people all throughout the Alola region," he pointed out, glaring at the two thugs, "I think it's time someone taught you a lesson…" he stated, reeling his arm back.

"Heh!" the other hooligan laughed as he and his partner took out their own Poké Balls, "You try it!" he challenged. Just then, something swooped by their heads, causing them to duck with yelps. It turned out to be the Woodpecker Pokémon, who landed before the pinkish haired boy.

"Peek, peek!" he screeched angrily at the pair of crooks.

"Hey, hey…" one of them grumbled as they stood up, "Where'd this fool come from?" he questioned, only to get a shrug from his comrade.

"Ilima!" a familiar voice cried out, catching their attentions as they all looked to see Hau and Calvin running towards them.

"Yo A, who are those kids?" the other grunt asked as they approached. He widened his eyes slightly at the sight of one.

"That Hala's grandkid!" he exclaimed in disbelief, taking a step back, "But… I don't know a thing about the brat next to him…" he mentioned, looking over at the capped boy.

"He's probably just some nobody from the boonies," his partner mocked, chuckling afterwards. Having overheard that, the lightning mage clenched his fists in anger.

"Hau, who are these guys?" he asked his cousin, who pulled out a Poké Ball.

"They're from Team Skull, like those guys talked about earlier," he replied in a whisper, enlarging the spherical container by pressing its center button, "They steal other people's Pokémon for themselves and take whatever else they want!" he added, much to his shock as he gasped lightly.

"Guess you kids wanna play with us, huh?" one of the goons inquired, prepared to throw his own Poké Ball. Suddenly, Pikipek dashed up and landed upon his head, making him perk up too late as he was pecked at rapidly by him. "OWOWOWOWOWOWOW!" he yelped loudly in agony before the Normal/Flying type stopped, soaring back over to his trainer.

"Pik, peek pek!" he chirped angrily, appearing to challenge the pair of crooked individuals.

"Oh, it's on!" A yelled, tossing up his containment, "Drowzee!" he cried out.

"Zubat!" his partner shouted, throwing his own ball as well. The two popped open, and the light that spilled out onto the ground from them formed and then dissipated into the Bat Pokémon and the Hypnosis Pokémon respectively.

"Rowlet, go!" the ponytailed boy bellowed as he threw his Poké Ball, letting it pop open as the light formed and dissipated to reveal the Grass/Flying type.

"Koo!" he chirped, landing beside the Woodpecker Pokémon.

"Knock 'em out, Zubat!" the Team Skull member shouted to his partner, "Use Bite!" he commanded. The Poison/Flying type flew out towards the long beaked bird-like creature of the two, having his teeth glow a bright white, about to chomp down on his target.

"Pikipek, dodge and use Peck!" Calvin cried out, enticing his new teammate to fly away from his oncoming opponent, followed by cloaking himself in a light red, bird-shaped aura as he dove down and rammed his beak right into him, sending him hurdling back in an instant.

"Ah, Zubat?!" his master exclaimed out of disbelief.

"Relax, B!" his fellow trainer advised to get his attention, "I got this!" he declared confidently as he threw his arm, "Drowzee, Pound!" he ordered. Making his right hand glow a bright white, the Psychic type took a step forward, prepared to attack.

"Rowlet, Astonish!" Hau yelled. The Grass Quill Pokémon lunged out, having an ominous aura shroud his entire body as he approached his adversary. It then became a ghastly apparition that had glowing pink eyes, a wicked grin, and a reddish energy shrouding it as it struck the bipedal, elephant-nosed creature.

"Drow…" he groaned, appearing to have flinched from the attack. In the meantime, Ilima watched on curiously at the multi battle, grinning at how the two boys were doing.

"Use Confusion and bring those birdies down!" A commanded angrily, enticing the Hypnosis Pokémon to snap out of his flinched state, making his eyes glow a bright pink.

"Pikipek, hit him with Supersonic!" Calvin called out.

"PEEEEEEKKKK!" the Normal/Flying screeched as he unleashed a sound wave that struck his target, causing him to suddenly stumble about in confusion. Just as Zubat was getting off of the ground, he was stomped down by his partner, causing the two grunts to yelp in surprise.

"Hey, that's on you!" B shouted to his comrade.

"Well shouldn't you be helpin' me?!" he yelled back. As the two argued, both boys turned to each other and nodded, prepared to finish the bout.

"Peck!" they cried out simultaneously, catching their opponents' attentions. Flying up together and cloaking themselves in a bird-shaped aura, the two bird-like creatures dove down and slammed their beaks into their foes, sending them flying before the struck their respective trainers, knocking them down as well.

"All right!" Hau exclaimed in excitement.

"Ugh…" the goons groaned simultaneously as they sat, seeing that both of their Pokémon were down for the count.

"Crap, we lost!" the former of the two yelped as he returned the Bat Pokémon to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light before standing up, "Ain't no way we gonna get any Pokémon like this!" he complained.

"Let's up and out of this port, B!" his friend advised after returning his Drowzee, "No one has to know we were even here!" he mentioned, racing off. His fellow grunt followed, running past the trial-goers they had lost to.

"See ya!" the ponytailed one of the two shouted with a playful wave, while Rowlet landed upon his head. Just then, the two heard the sound of clapping from afar, enticing them to look and see Ilima approach.

"That was a fine showing of battling skill," he complimented, "It's no surprise with how well both of you did at the Pokémon School," he mentioned with a grin.

"Th-Thank you, Ilima…" Calvin stuttered out of flattery as he blushed, evidently embarrassed by all the praise he had been receiving lately. His Pikipek landed upon his head just then, chirping happily.

"Incidentally…" he began, catching their attentions, "I don't remember you having a Pikipek as a member of your party…" he pointed out curiously.

"Oh, yeah," the Ketchum boy responded, glancing over at his new teammate as he then perched himself onto his right shoulder, "I actually caught him earlier today," he pointed out.

"Really?" the trial captain questioned rhetorically, sounding impressed, "Well then…" he continued, making the trial-goer perk up, "How about I see if you're really prepared to take on my trial?" he suggested, still holding his Poké Ball as he tossed it up and down in his hand.

"You mean… a battle?" the lightning mage guessed, receiving a nod in reply from the pinkish haired man.

"It's only fair that I'd want to see how far any challenger's progressed when they have yet to clear a trial," he explained, walking off, "So shall we?" he offered, throwing the ball with his left hand. It popped open, and the light that poured out from it went onto the ground, forming and then dissipating to reveal a Smeargle.

"Gul!" he greeted, holding his paintbrush-like tail in his right hand.

"Oh, a Smeargle!" Hau exclaimed in surprise.

"Now who will you choose to battle?" Ilima wondered aloud, catching his future opponent's attention.

"Hm…" he hummed in thought, placing his hand onto his chin.

"Pik!" Pikipek suddenly chirped, making him perk up as he saw his newest teammate land down in front of him, prepared to battle.

"You sure, Pikipek?" he questioned out of mild concern.

"Pik pek!" he responded with a simple nod, ready to battle.

"Okay then," his trainer replied. After a moment of preparation, Hau and Rowlet were seated off to the side, prepared to watch the match unfold.

"The first move is yours," the trial captain said rather nicely.

"All right, use Supersonic!" Calvin commanded as he swung his left arm out. Flying up, the Woodpecker Pokémon unleashed a strong sound wave headed for the Normal type ahead of him.

"Quick Attack!" the pinkish haired man shouted, enticing his partner to cloak himself in a white outline before dashing forwards in an instant, avoiding getting struck by the sound wave before slamming into his enemy head on.

"Pikee!" he screeched as he was flung back, managing to regain his midair balance as he shook his head.

"Using Supersonic to confuse my Pokémon to give yourself the early advantage, hm?" Ilima inquired, placing his hand onto his chin, "Quite the great strategy you had, but it won't faze my Smeargle," he mentioned.

"Smear…" the Painter Pokémon challenged, gesturing for his opponent to attack him, much to his ire as a tick mark appeared upon his head.

"Stay cool, Pikipek!" his master advised, "Use Peck!" he called out as he clenched his fist. Cloaking himself in a bird-shaped, light red aura, the Normal/Flying type dove down towards his opponent with his beak aimed for his chest.

"Vine Whip!" the trial captain commanded.

"Smeer… gul!" the paintbrush-tailed creature yelled as his shoulders shined a bright yellow before two dark green vines appeared from his back, extending out to strike the bird-like being coming towards him. However, he narrowly evaded them, striking him fiercely in the chest.

"Yeah!" Calvin exclaimed excitedly, glad that his comrade had landed a hit as his adversary fell down, only to get back up in mere moments.

"My, my…" the pinkish haired man repeated, sounding impressed, "Smeargle, Ember!" he called out. Reeling his head back, the Normal type unleashed a large fireball, aimed for his foe.

"Counter it with Echoed Voice!" the Ketchum boy commanded quickly, making his teammate have his beak glow a bright white before opening it to fire off another sound wave that connected with the fireball, creating a large explosion of black smoke, "One more time!" his master yelled. The black veil was instantly swept away by another sound wave from the Woodpecker Pokémon, heading for his adversary as it seemed more powerful than before.

"Use Water Gun!" the well-dressed man shouted. As he reeled his head back once again, Smeargle fired off a blast of water to try and counteract the oncoming sound wave, only for it to break apart instantaneously as the attack was too powerful, striking him as he yelped.

"Great work, cuz!" Hau cheered from afar while clapping.

"Koo!" Rowlet chirped excitedly.

"That's some impressive power you've got!" the trial captain admitted with a grin, while his partner was slow to get up, "But we're not done yet!" he declared confidently, "Smeargle, Quick Attack!" he ordered.

"Gul!" the Painter Pokémon responded, dashing out in an instant as a white outline shrouded his body.

"Use Peck!" the lightning mage bellowed. The Normal/Flying type shrouded himself within a light red, bird-shaped aura once more, flying out at his enemy. They came into contact, having intercepted their attacks as they came to a stalemate. However, the smaller of the two was blown back in an instant, hitting the ground and tumbling across it back to his trainer. "Pikipek!" he cried out, seeing him struggle to get onto his feet.

"All right then…" Ilima uttered, sticking out his right hand, "Ember!" he commanded, enticing his partner to shoot off another fireball from his mouth towards his foe.

"Quick, dodge it!" Calvin yelped. The Woodpecker Pokémon narrowly managed to fly up and avoid the fireball as it struck the ground in a fiery explosion. All of a sudden, his beak glowed a bright reddish-orange as he flew down and slammed it into the torso of his enemy, sending him hurdling back in an instant.

"Whoa!" Hau exclaimed, evidently shocked.

"Rohw…" Rowlet uttered in disbelief. The Ketchum boy was just as stunned, taking out his phone to discover just what move his teammate had used.

"Rock Smash…" he read, smiling brightly, "That's a Fighting type move!" he noted with a pump of his fist.

"So that's how it is…" the trial captain muttered as Smeargle got back on his feet, "All right, Quick Attack!" he cried out. The Painter Pokémon dashed out once more, cloaking himself in a white outline as he sped towards his foe.

"Pikipek, Rock Smash!" the capped boy commanded. Making his beak glow reddish-orange again, the bird-like creature flew in and rammed it into the head of his oncoming opponent, not backing down an inch as they reached another deadlock. This time though, the Normal type was the first to falter as he suddenly was flung to the ground, hitting it hard in a flurry of dust. When it cleared after a moment, it revealed that he was lying upon the ground with swirls in his eyes, unable to continue battling.

"And that's it!" the ponytailed boy exclaimed excitedly as he jumped up.

"Roooh!" the Grass Quill Pokémon cheered as he flew around happily. Letting off a grin, the pinkish haired man returned his partner to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.

"Thank you for your effort," he said to it in gratitude, shrinking the container before placing it back on his belt, "That was a _fine_ display!" he complimented as he approached the trial-goer and his dirtied, bird-like creature, "I'm even more impressed that the Pikipek you only recently met had won that battle," he added, placing his hands at his hips, "I think you're more than ready to take on my trial," he stated, causing the lightning mage to smile gleefully.

"Thanks!" he responded graciously.

"Pik pek!" Pikipek added happily.

"By the way…" Ilima continued, catching his attention as Hau trotted over with Rowlet, "how is your sister doing?" he asked out of concern, "I know that Professor Kukui was planning on getting something to help her with her studies and training…" he noted, tapping his chin in thought.

"I… don't know actually…" the Ketchum boy responded, remembering his twin sister yelling at him yesterday, "I just hope she's not too down about everything," he stated.

"Well, she'll be back!" his cousin chimed in, folding his arms behind his head, "In the meantime, let's get to that trial!" he declared with a pump of his fist, causing the other two with him to grin in agreement before leaving the marina.

 **X**

As the sunset came by, the remaining three of the Ketchum family in the household had a hearty dinner without much discussion at the table. Erika and Leslie shared looks a couple of times, as the latter was concerned for her sibling's well-being. Even so, she ignored her as she made her usual jabs to her chest again and again, almost giving up any hope she had that she would change.

"All righty…" the aspiring kunoichi uttered as she slid open the window of her room later that evening. Before she snuck out, she had grabbed her holster and a few scrolls, setting it on her left thigh as she landed upon the grass, racing off towards Iki Town. Catching sight of her from her own room's window, the Unova Champion Master sighed deeply, grabbing her belt and a fleece jacket. Once she arrived in the town, her sister snuck around the buildings, heading over to Mahalo Trail: the hill she and her brother trekked up before when they first met Lillie and where Tapu Koko had saved her twin.

' _I was there to help my brother, too!_ ' she noted inwardly, ' _So there's gotta be a Z-Ring waiting for me!_ ' she exclaimed through thought, excitedly running up the path. A few moments later, she arrived at the broken bridge, looking out to see the deep drop into the river below with the sharp rocks. She cracked a smirk though, opening her holster and pulling out one of the scrolls she had taken. She laid it onto the ground and unrolled it, revealing the Japanese character printed upon it. Putting her hands together in the form of a tiger seal, she closed her eyes and then placed her left palm against the paper. A puff of smoke emitted from it afterwards, clearing away thanks to the breeze to reveal a large hook attached to a firm rope. After she successfully tied the end with the hook to a tree, she slowly began lowering herself from the cliff towards the river below.

"If I can't jump across, then this is the next best thing!" she told herself, getting closer to the water, which actually seemed rather calm despite the breeze blowing by. The only danger was apparently the sharp rocks, and those were easily avoidable. By the time she reached the water, she closed her eyes again, making another tiger seal with her right hand while holding onto the rope with her left. She then stepped onto the water with her feet, standing upon it as she let go.

' _Perfect,_ ' she said through thought with a grin, ' _My chakra control's a bit wonky, but I can at least walk on water,_ ' she noted to herself, turning and slowly trotting over to the other side of the river. The light breeze did not affect her at all as she remained concentrated, not worried in the slightest as ripples appeared with each step she took. Suddenly though, something splashed out from the water, making her perk up to see that a Corsola had leapt out, coming right towards her.

"K-K-KOR?!" she yelped, not expecting a person to be in her path. Reacting quickly, Erika stepped forward to try and get out of the Water/Rock type's way. However, one of the coral pieces upon her body snagged her holster, ripping it off as she went by so quickly.

"NO!" she screamed, seeing it fly off and land in the water, floating away with the current as the Coral Pokémon swam away. She was about to give chase to her long treasured item until she felt her feet start to sink into the water, realizing that her time upon it was almost up. She carefully stepped over to the other side of the river, jumping up onto the cliff and holding on as she breathed out a sigh of relief. "Perfect…" she muttered, realizing that her goal to get to the ruins was now a lot more daunting.

' _What would Cal do now?_ ' she wondered, blinking in surprise for even thinking of him before shaking her head, ' _No, I gotta do this as best I can!_ ' she proclaimed inwardly, grunting as she climbed up the cliff, sweating madly. Though she had to take frequent breaks, she never quit as she finally made her way to the top, getting over and setting herself down upon the ground.

"Huh… Huh…" she breathed heavily, lying upon the ground as she looked to see the stars in the sky with the bright moon overhead, "Ergh…" she grunted, getting back onto her feet and looking out at the remainder of the path before trekking it. She arrived at the entrance to the ruins moments later, gulping a little.

' _What the heck do I have to be nervous about?_ ' she asked herself, regaining her composure, ' _Thanks to that stupid thing, I don't have a flashlight…_ ' she grumbled through thought as she took out her Poké Balls and enlarged them, ' _but I still have these guys!_ ' she noted inwardly, opening them up to have the light from them pour out and form. It dissipated, revealing her two teammates.

"Ar?" Popplio barked in confusion, wondering where they were.

"Rah, rok ruf!" Rockruff pointed out in complete shock, catching her attention as they looked to see the opening into the ruins in front of them.

"I need you guys to help me get through these ruins before we reach Tapu Koko," their trainer chimed in, causing them to perk up, "Please?" she pleaded, clapping her hands together. The two creatures shared a worried look with each other before nodding, making her smile. A little bit later, the three of them were walking through the dark tunnel towards the end of the ruins, only seeing some light illumination from both the moon and the stars through the vines that acted as a roof. The Puppy Pokémon sniffed ahead as his master and the Water type followed, right until they reached the end of the ruins, where it was bright enough for them to all see. The aspiring kunoichi smiled as she saw the shrine there, adorned with floral decorations as it was atop a perfectly made stack of stones, with wooden steps on each for people to go up and honor the guardian deity of Melemele. However, her plans were far from honoring the sacred shrine. She hurried up the steps and knelt down before the stone totem, prepared to do what she needed to.

"Pua, pop?" Popplio asked as she and Rockruff went over to her, wondering what she would say as she put her hands together in prayer.

"Oh great, powerful, awesome Tapu Koko…" she began with closed eyes, "please, please, _please_ give me a Z-Ring!" she begged rather bluntly, much to the dismay of her teammates as they both sighed with drops of sweat rolling down from their heads. After a few moments, nothing happened. The Ketchum girl kept her eyes closed, but her ire was building with each passing second of silence, which the creatures beside her took notice of.

"R-Rah?" the Rock type stammered in concern.

"AAAAGGGHH!" his trainer suddenly screamed angrily as she stood up in a huff, evidently impatient, "Come on already!" she yelled, kicking the stone totem in front of her. It was about to fall over, much to her shock as she realized that she had made a mistake.

"Arf!" the Sea Lion Pokémon barked as she and her comrade went behind the totem, pushing it back to keep it upright. Their master quickly over and grabbed it to make sure it stayed in place, letting it go once it stopped shaking.

"Huh…" she breathed out in relief, "Sorry about that…" she apologized to her teammates, who glared at her.

"Kohhh…" a familiar voice echoed, catching their attentions as they widened their eyes.

"That voice…" Erika started to realize, smiling a little.

"Kokohhhh…!" it sounded off, even louder than before.

"Pua…" Popplio whimpered, nervously backing away from the shrine with Rockruff, while their owner watched on in anticipation. A flash of yellow lightning engulfed the room, blinding the three of them as they shut their eyes. After a moment to open them back up, they all gasped to see the Land Spirit Pokémon right there in front of his shrine, staring out at the trespassers.

"You're really here…!" the Ketchum girl exclaimed, seemingly about to cry tears of joy, "Now can you please make with the-?" Without warning, Tapu Koko lunged forward and slammed into her, sending her flying off of the shrine before landing hard on the wood floor below, tumbling across it before coming to a stop as she lied on her right hip. "Ow…" she uttered out in agony, having tears in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her hurt torso. Stunned by what they had just witnessed, her teammates glared and growled at the guardian deity, prepared to attack it. However, it readied its arms, forming a sparking orb of electricity upon each one that he subsequently fired at them. They narrowly dodged the attacks, landing on the ground in front of their trainer.

"Rah, rah!" Rockruff barked angrily, making the stones around his neck glow white before a multicolored orb of energy formed upon his tail, firing off several shards of rock towards the Electric/Fairy type. It avoided them with ease however, landing down in front of its foes as electricity began sparking wildly around it.

"KOKOHHHHH!" it screeched, suddenly unleashing an electrical discharge that spread throughout the room, creating practically a dome of energy that surrounded it and its enemies.

"Wh-What's happening?" Erika stuttered out in confusion and fright, grimacing worriedly. Popplio went ahead and fired off a spray of water from her nostrils after jumping up, while her teammate performed the same attack as before. With electricity sparking even more wildly around it, Tapu Koko then unleashed multiple bolts of yellow lightning, as two struck its opponents simultaneously as they easily cut through their attacks without issue. "POPPLIO! ROCKRUFF!" their master screamed in dismay, seeing them both fall to the ground in heaps, evidently unable to continue as they groaned in agony.

"Koh…" the Land Spirit Pokémon growled, catching the girl's attention as she grimaced to see the menacing glare from it. She realized that she desecrated it shrine and was now seen as an enemy to be finished off by it.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized immediately, getting onto her hands and knees, "I didn't mean to ruin your home or whatever, but I just-!" Her words were only met with more bolts of electricity being shot out from the island guardian out of anger, followed by him forming yet another orb of electrical energy upon the tips of its appendages. It threw the sphere of energy down at her, causing her to flinch as she folded her arms over her face to defend herself, followed by an explosion that engulfed the area. When the smoke cleared after a moment amidst the crackling of electricity in the air, she looked to see that she had been unharmed, much to her disbelief. She then glanced out and gasped to see her older sister there alongside her Serperior, glaring down the guardian deity as it got into a ready stance.

"Erika, stay behind me," she advised seriously, about to engage in an epic clash.

 **X**

A few moments passed within the shrine room before Tapu Koko prepared another orb of electricity upon its hands.

"Serpence, Coil!" Leslie called out, enticing the Regal Pokémon to curl himself up, having a purple aura shroud his body before disappearing, followed by a reddish energy flowing up his form. The sphere of electrical energy was then fired towards him, zooming in rapidly. "Now Leaf Blade!" his trainer commanded as she swung her left arm out.

"Sir!" he responded quickly, making his tail glow a bright green as the leaves upon it sharpened. He swung his appendage out, slicing clean through the ball and creating to separate implosions behind him.

"Whoa…" the aspiring kunoichi uttered in amazement as her eyes shook.

"Koh kohhh!" the Electric/Fairy type screeched as it zoomed down, slamming its right hand on the ground and a pink shockwave comes out of the ground, with wisps of blue aura appearing above the ground, causing his opponent to move back slightly.

"Coil again!" the Unova Champion Master yelled quickly, enticing her partner to shroud himself in the purple aura once more. All of a sudden, multiple pink, yellow, and blue bolts shot out from the ground he was upon, striking him as he cried out in agony.

"Ah!" Erika gasped with her teammates, thinking that the Grass type had just been defeated. However, the smoke cleared to reveal that he was still up despite a few noticeable scrapes.

"Use Leech Seed!" Leslie ordered, enticing her partner to arch his head back before spitting out what appeared to be a large seed, striking the Land Spirit Pokémon and suddenly growing into several vines that wrapped around its body. They appeared to drain it of its energy, while his foe began glowing in a bright green aura from afar.

"Koh… KOH!" it shrieked angrily, unleashing several bolts of yellow electricity from its body towards its foe. Rather than dodge, the Serperior leapt out and took the lightning head on, becoming enveloped in an explosion of black smoke afterwards.

"Serrr…" he hissed as he landed down with electricity sparking all around his body, grimacing in pain.

"Serpence, here!" his master called out, catching his attention as she saw her chuck a red berry towards him, which he caught in his mouth and ate. Chewing and swallowing the fruit, the sparks emanating around him disappeared as he glared back at his adversary.

"Koh…" it muttered in realization, firing off more bolts of yellow electricity towards him.

"Dodge and use Leaf Blade!" the white haired woman commanded, enticing her teammate to narrowly evade each oncoming lightning bolt, making his tail glow a bright green again as its leaves sharpened.

"Ser… PEEER!" he screeched as he lunged out, slashing by the Electric/Fairy type over and over with his tail. It managed to defend itself with the shells on its arms, but was evidently growing weary as it began to sweat. However, the vines surrounding it were sliced off, enabling him to move as he prepared yet another orb of electricity upon its hands, firing it off to strike his foe head on.

"Serpence!" his trainer shouted out worriedly, hoping he was all right. He shook his head in agony, glaring ahead at his foe as a greenish aura overtook his form.

"Huh?" Erika uttered in confusion as she blinked, recognizing that it was the same kind of aura that was around her Popplio and her brother's Litten when they were in tight pinches.

"Serpence, Leaf Storm!" Leslie ordered as she pumped out her right fist. Becoming outlined in a turquoise light, the Serperior leapt up and suddenly was surrounded by a large amount of green, glowing leaves. Realizing what was about to happen, Tapu Koko closed its shell in an effort to protect itself. The leaves were fired towards it rapidly, striking it fiercely as it was blown back towards its shrine. A blue aura flowed down the body of the Grass type afterwards as he landed down before his trainer, prepared to continue fighting if necessary. His opponent opened his shell, looking to see the frightened expression on the face of the aspiring kunoichi as she stood up.

"Koh," he concurred with a nod, making the Regal Pokémon blink in confusion. Just then, another flash of lightning burst out, blinding the group as they shut their eyes instantly. They looked out to see that the Land Spirit Pokémon had disappeared, having apparently calmed down from being disturbed.

"Huh…" the short haired girl breathed out in relief, falling onto her knees, "That was scary…" she admitted as she was slightly shaking. She then heard the footsteps of her sister drawing near with her partner, making her perk up. "Th-Thanks-" Her stuttering attempt at gratitude was only met with a powerful slap to her left cheek from the right hand of her sibling, who looked even angrier than the guardian deity was.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" she screamed in question, "You could've gotten really hurt, heck even killed!" she pointed out to her, sounding very frustrated, "I didn't tell mom about what you were doing because I hoped you'd get some sense knocked into that brain of yours for once…" she admitted, glancing off to the side, "but I guess I was just kidding myself," she realized, "You deserve everything you've gotten thus far in Alola, and that includes this," she stated as Erika slowly stood up. She then blinked in surprise to see the tears rolling down from her eyes profusely, with snot coming out of her nostrils as she then bawled into her sibling's chest.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she apologized repeatedly, "I should've listened to you and everyone!" she exclaimed, still in tears as she moved her head to look into her sister's eyes, "Calvin… he was making all these friends and learning everything…" she blurted out, "and I… I… didn't even try…" she stuttered, ashamed of herself.

"Ar…" Popplio barked quietly with tears in her eyes, while Rockruff was the same. Though it could all have been just an act, Leslie knew that there was sincerity in her sister's voice, embracing her warmly in reassurance.

"Let's get you back home," she advised as just above the ruins, Tapu Koko watched on curiously.

 **X**

After being properly scolded by her mother and sent to bed, Erika awoke the next morning in her room, dressed for the day as she held her floral hat in her hands. Despite its ridiculous appearance, she had grown attached to it, not once leaving it behind when she went to the festival, the school, or even the ruins. She put it on, setting it upright. Just then, she heard a knock at the front door to the household, getting her attention.

' _That must be him…_ ' she inwardly realized, letting out an exhale.

"Pua?" a familiar voice barked, causing her to perk up as she saw Popplio and Rockruff there in front of her, smiling as she approached them, squatting down.

"I'm sorry for last night," she apologized sincerely, "I dragged you two into something I shouldn't have even done," she noted with shame in her voice.

"Rah, ruff!" the Puppy Pokémon barked, leaping into her arms and licking her cheek playfully. She grinned, picking up the Water as well before exiting the room.

"Mornin', Erika!" the voice of Professor Kukui greeted, catching her attention as she saw him there with her mother and her sister.

"Good morning," she responded, going up to him.

"So are you ready to get to it?" he inquired to her, placing his hands at his hips while arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah," she replied with a simple nod, heading out the front door with him moments later. Elsewhere on the island, Calvin clenched his fists tightly from within a Pokémon Center room, already dressed as he was prepared to take on his first trial.

 **END**

 **I'm back, baby! It feels so good to be consistently updating again! But in all seriousness, it will be a while before the next chapter comes out since there's other stories I wanna get to, such as "Evolution", "Traitor", and of course, "Omni Force: WAR". But in the meantime, here's a summary to tide you over!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Episode Eight: Two Trials! One Winner!**_

 _ **In an effort to help her succeed and obtain an Island Challenge amulet, Professor Kukui gives Erika a special Rotom-Pokédex! However, she has to train and study for just a day in order to get an 100% required score on her exam! Will she do it?!**_

 _ **And Calvin begins his first trial! But as it goes swimmingly, Team Skull suddenly barges in with reinforcements! Will Calvin be able to make it through?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **To know what's next in the schedule, please check the forum for updates! See you guys later!**


	8. Two Trials! One Winner!

**Alola! Did you miss this story? Maybe?**

 **Sorry to have put this on hiatus after the cliffhanger from last time, but now I'm back with a new chapter! The last time we left off, Calvin was about to take on his first trial, while Erika was headed off with Professor Kukui! How will both of them fare in the challenges ahead?! Let's find out!**

 **POKÉMON SUN & MOON**

 **THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME**

Erika and her teammates were silent as they sat down on the couch in the living room of Kukui's house. Last night's escapade proved to be a wake-up call for all three of them, especially the human girl. The scolding she received from both her sister and her mother was still fresh in her mind. For the first time, she was scared. She was scared of failing and of being left out. Her brother was already so far ahead of her, but she was not discouraged. Her encounter with Tapu Koko taught her that she needed to learn. She needed to battle with her Pokémon in order to succeed.

"Okay, here we go!" the professor's voice chimed in, making her perk up as he approached with a with a red rectangular object in his hands. He stopped as he noticed the regretful expression in the girl's eyes. It surprised him a little, but he smiled reassuringly. "I know you're sorry for what's happened the past few days," he pointed out, causing her to blink in surprise, "That's why I wanna help you out however I can before your makeup exam," he told her, giving her the oddly-shaped object.

"Th-Thank you…" she stammered in gratitude, taking it in both of her hands. She stared at it curiously. She had no idea what it even was. Her furrowing eyebrows were all the shirtless man needed to see to understand her confusion.

"That there's a Pokédex, Erika," he said, much to her surprise as she looked up at him with widened eyes before smiling back at her new device.

"A Pokédex?!" she exclaimed, jumping up from her seat onto her feet, "Like the ones my dad used to have?!" she guessed excitedly, "Awesome!" she shouted. Her two partners were completely perplexed by her sudden excitement, but it was soon replaced with worry as they saw her face fell. "Um… it's not working…" she pointed out bluntly with a blank look in her eyes.

"Heh," the tan skinned man chuckled, "That's because it doesn't have the battery yet," he pointed out, gesturing for her to follow him downstairs. Moments later, the two Rockruffs were wrestling around the laboratory as Kukui pressed one key after another on his computer keyboard before pushing down the enter button. "All right…" he uttered afterwards, standing up and stretching his arms, "Should be here any minute now…" he noted, much to the confusion of the Ketchum girl as she glanced around the room with Popplio in her arms.

"Um… what should be here?" she asked, evidently perplexed as she tilted her head to the side. The lights started to flicker. The pair of Puppy Pokémon stopped playing as they looked at the blinking lights. All of a sudden, one lightbulb's glass shattered as a bolt of lightning shot out, zooming right over Erika's head as she ducked. "What the heck?!" she yelped, holding her Water type protectively. The bolt zipped around for a few more seconds before stopping in front of her, making her flinch. She stared at it in wonder afterwards, seeing it come into form to reveal itself as a Rotom.

"Zzt, zzzt!" it buzzed excitedly.

"Oh, hey!" the aspiring kunoichi exclaimed upon recognizing the creature, "This thing's like the little guy back at old man Oak's lab!" she pointed out.

"Rotom is its name," Kukui corrected, "It's gonna help you out," he told her, causing her to blink in confusion. The Plasma Pokémon spotted the battery-less device in her hands, grinning widely.

"Roh…TOH-TOH-TOH!" it suddenly shrieked, slamming itself against the contraption to practically merge into it.

"Pua!" Popplio barked in surprise as she jumped out of her trainer's arms, falling onto the floor. The girl held onto her new gift tightly in her hands, looking away as she had expected something bad to happen upon the flash of what she assumed was lightning. She opened her left eye to peek at what happened and almost fainted. The Electric/Ghost type was now within her Pokédex, so to speak. It had stubby feet, lightning bolt-like arms, and a point atop its head.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" she shrieked, letting go of the device before falling onto her rear end on the floor. But she did not hear the contraption strike the floor with her. She glanced up to see it floating there, smiling at her.

" _Alola, Erika!_ " it greeted with static in its voice, " _Be gentle with the goods, okay, zzt?_ " it implored. She was floored, flabbergasted, and whatever other word there was to describe her disbelief. The professor chuckled again.

"This little guy was invented by Ilima and a friend of your dad's," he explained, "He's basically a more… interactive kind of Pokédex," he mentioned as he rubbed his chin. The Ketchum girl blinked twice. And then she smiled excitedly.

"So it's gonna help me pass my retake?!" she guessed, jumping to her feet.

" _That's right, zzt!_ " the Pokédex answered as it hovered around, " _I'm going to be helping you study for your exam!_ " it declared, causing her smile to suddenly fade. She had secretly hoped that she would be able to use the new machine during the test. But she exhaled in realization, knowing that trying to catch up with her twin brother would not be so easy.

"Okay," she finally said, "What do we do first?" she inquired to Kukui, who tipped his cap slightly as he saw both of her teammates gather alongside her.

"Let's start some training to know your own Pokémon's moves," he advised, gesturing for her and the others to follow him outside, "Rotom can teach you about them, too," he added. Developing a serious expression, Erika nodded. She was prepared to rise up to the challenge and get the amulet she needed.

 **Two Trials! One Winner!**

"CHUUUU!" Pichu squeaked as he tumbled across the ground. He was battling against a rather eager Litten outside of the Pokémon Center as Calvin and Hau were eyeing each other with smiles on their faces. Since they were both wanting to take on the trial, but only one of them could for today. The ponytailed boy of the two was sweating nervously though, as his partner had barely been able to land one hit on the Fire type.

"Now use Fire Fang!" his cousin's voice bellowed.

"Mraw!" the Fire Cat Pokémon roared before engulfing her mouth in flames as a reddish aura enveloped her body. She leapt out at her foe, who was slow to get up as scrapes and burns were all across his body.

"Pichu, Thunder Shock!" his trainer commanded quickly.

"Piiii…CHU!" he exclaimed as his cheeks sparked wildly with electricity before unleashing a small bolt of lightning onto his foe, who took it head on as she bit down on her target, creating an explosion of smoke that enveloped the both of them. The two boys waited patiently for the black veil to clear, hopefully revealing a victor. Once it finally did, it showed that the kitten-like creature stood over her fainted opponent as swirls were in his eyes.

"That's it!" Ilima called out, having watched the entire match from the steps leading into the red roofed building behind them. He stood and went over to the two island challengers, reaching into his pocket to pull out a pair of Oran Berries. "Here you are," he offered to them.

"Thanks!" the Ketchum boy replied, taking the fruit and giving it to his partner, who happily began eating it. The grandson of the island's kahuna did the same with his fainted teammate, as he eagerly and quickly ate the energizing fruit.

"Pi chu!" he squeaked delightedly once he finished eating.

"Mraaah…" Litten purred after she swallowed what was left of her berry.

"So I guess today's your day, Cal," Hau reluctantly admitted, somewhat disappointed that he wouldn't be able to take on the trial before his relative.

"Don't worry, Hau," he reassured as he picked up the Fire type in his arms, "You'll get your chance to catch up," he promised with a pump of his right fist, making him smile.

"Right then," the pink haired trial captain chimed in, catching their attentions as he walked past the pair, "Calvin," he began to the capped boy, pointing towards something in distance, "that's where your trial will take place," he told him. There was a large cave in the distance, with its opening right behind a gateway that had colors similar to the amulets of the island challengers. Letting the Fire Cat Pokémon jump onto his shoulder, the lightning mage stared ahead seriously, prepared to face the challenge that lied just ahead.

 **X**

Flocks of Wingull flew over the site of Ten Carat Hill as an hour had passed since Erika had received her new Pokédex. She was sweating nervously as she sat upon the ground, staring at Rotom intently, waiting for something to happen as it floated in front of her.

" _Incorrect, zzt,_ " it buzzed suddenly.

"AUGH!" she groaned, falling on her back, "I thought I got that one for sure!" she complained, sounding frustrated.

" _You were pretty close, zzt,_ " her device pointed out as she stared at the blue sky overhead, " _Currently, Popplio's moves are Pound, Water Gun, and Disarming Voice,_ " he listed off, " _That last one is what type of move?_ " he questioned to the girl, who pounced back onto her knees with new life.

"Um…" she uttered, sweating all the while, "…Fairy?" she guessed, shutting her eyes as she expected to be wrong yet again.

" _Correct, zzt!_ " it responded with a checkmark appearing on its screen. She gasped excitedly before developing the widest of grins.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. She was very pumped up. "All right, what's next?" she asked, clenching her fists in anticipation of the next question. Throughout the hour, the Pokédex she dubbed the 'Rotodex' had quizzed her on various points that she should have learned in class. Though she mostly answered wrong, the now interactive device was giving her pointers and corrections to those missed questions. One minute after another, she was answering the questions posed to her at an easy but rapid pace. And her grin kept on growing. In the meantime, her two Pokémon were training against some of the wild creatures in the area. Rockruff had to evade the stones materialized and shot his way by a Carbink, who suddenly had a whitish energy envelop its body before it became encased within a crystal-like substance. A red light flowed up its body afterwards as its opponent growled.

"RAAAHHOOOOOO!" he howled up into the sky. A red aura then glowed around his form as he got into a ready stance, letting the rocks around his neck shine a bright white. An orb of energy enveloped his tail as he leapt up, dissolving into multiple sparkles that became rocks with white outlines. He fired them out, striking his target in an explosion of white smoke. Once it dissipated, it revealed the Jewel Pokémon lying upon the grassy ground in a daze.

"Pua, puop!" Popplio barked happily from afar as she clapped for her teammate. She had just defeated a horde of Roggenrola, all of whom were lying soaked on the ground.

" _Now what are Rockruff's moves, zzt?_ " Rotom asked the aspiring kunoichi, who closed her eyes to think.

"Let's see… Tackle, Bite, Rock Throw…" she started to list off, placing her hand onto her chin as she tried to recall the last one. Her eyes widened once she remembered what the Puppy Pokémon had done to the Carbink moments ago. "And Howl!" she finished excitedly.

" _Correct, zzt!_ " the Pokédex replied as a checkmark appeared on its screen, " _Now for a quick lesson,_ " it said, putting up an image of the Rock type, " _Rockruff, the Puppy Pokémon,_ " it began, " _This Pokémon has lived with people since times long ago. He can sense when his trainer is in the dumps and will stick close by his trainer's side,_ " it explained.

"Oh…" Erika uttered in surprise, glancing back to see her partner still battling amongst the wild creatures in the area. She recalled how he was always at her side, being a comforting companion even in her times of doubt. She smiled softly.

' _Rockruff really does care about me, huh?_ ' she noted through thought, ' _I wonder if Popplio feels the same as him…_ ' she added inwardly. She had yet to notice the lone Mantle Pokémon about to pounce on her, but her Water type did, widening her eyes.

"Arf!" she barked, suddenly immersing herself in water before shooting out like a rocket. She slammed head first into her target, knocking him away as he crashed into the earth in a flurry of dust, much to the surprise of the aspiring kunoichi and the Pokédex.

" _Oh my, zzzt!_ " the latter of the two buzzed, " _That was-!_ "

"Aqua Jet!" the Ketchum girl interjected excitedly as she sprang to her feet, shocking it as it didn't expect her to know that fact, "Way to go, Popplio!" she cheered with a pump of her fists.

"Pua…" she replied sheepishly, blushing a little.

" _You knew that move, zzt?!_ " Rotom inquired to the short haired girl, still stunned.

"Well… yeah," she responded, sounding surprised with herself as her smile grew, "I guess that means I'm getting better at this than I thought I would!" she realized gleefully.

" _Indeed, zzt!_ " her device replied as it raised its right arm, " _But that doesn't mean you can slack off, okay?!_ " he noted loudly to her. A serious expression immediately came onto her face.

"Got it," she said, clenching her fists tightly at her sides.

' _That's right…_ ' she said to herself, ' _I've gotta keep my focus on all this so I can catch up to Cal!_ ' she declared inwardly.

"Okay!" she exclaimed suddenly as she smacked her right fist into her open left palm, "Popplio! Rockruff!" she called out to her comrades, who immediately responded as they ran over to her, "Let's train together!" she advised. They barked happily in response, following her out into the grass to find more wild Pokémon. In the meantime, Kukui watched from afar, smiling proudly at the girl's efforts. Her apathy had turned into compassion. Her laziness into seriousness. And now her sadness was replaced with confidence.

"Good luck, Erika," he said with his hands at his hips, "I know you'll do your best," he added as he grinned.

 **X**

The trial's rules were rather simple to Calvin. Once he entered the Verdant Cavern, Ilima explained to him what was required. There would be three Pokémon scattered throughout the small dens within the area. If he and his team defeated the three of them, he would be allowed to pass into the large opening in the back of the room. The first two creatures he encountered were a pair of Yungoos, one of which shot out from its home in an attempt to catch him off guard. Fortunately, his own Normal type easily dealt with both of them.

"Okay, last one…" he noted, approaching the den where he had seen a silhouette.

"Grr…" the Loitering Pokémon growled, gritting his teeth.

"Don't worry, Yungoos," his master reassured, petting his head to get his attention, "Just one more and we'll be finding out whatever's at the other side of that tunnel," he explained to him, kneeling down to peek into the den, "All we have to do is beat-"

"BUZZZAAAAFFF!" a deep voice bellowed before slammed into his face, knocking him back onto the ground upon his back.

"Y-Yung goo!" his partner stammered in shock, going over to check on him until he was confronted by the mysterious figure, standing face to face with it. It was a long-bodied Pokémon similar to a mongoose like he was. He was standing on his hind legs with his hands locked behind his back, similar to a human. Most of his coat was brown with a yellow underside that extended over the top of his tail. He had an additional yellow stripe that started on his forehead and ended between his shoulders. There were tufts of fur near his shoulders, hips, and around the base of his tail. These tufts in combination with his yellow underside created the impression of an open trench coat. His ears were rounded with a small notch and were located on the sides of his head. He had a short snout with a pink nose, a large mouth full of pointed teeth, eyes nearly hidden under his yellow stripe, and tufts of yellow fur on his chin. There were three black claws on each of his four short legs. Despite his length, he was thick bodied and had a wide, flat tail with longer fur on the tip. His pre-evolution had his mouth gaping open in shock, but he shook his head to dissipate his disbelief as he let his teeth glow a bright white. All of a sudden though, he was smacked aside by the Stakeout Pokémon in an instant.

"Yungoos!" Calvin yelled, seeing the opposing Normal type dash down with his jaws glowing a bright white.

"Goooh…" the Loitering Pokémon groaned as he slowly got back up with a shake of his head. He barely had enough time to avoid getting caught in the teeth of his evolution, jumping away a cloud of dust blew about upon his impact with the ground.

"Whoa…" his trainer uttered from afar, stunned by the opponent's power. He only felt that there was one way to settle this. "Yungoos, Bide!" he commanded quickly.

"Gooh!" his teammate responded, letting a reddish aura build around him just before his foe tackled him head on again, slamming him into one of the dens in another flurry of dust.

"Y-Yunnngg…" the smaller creature groaned as he emerged from the den with the red energy still enveloping his body.

"Oh man…" the capped boy muttered in disbelief, wondering if he would be able to hold out long enough to retaliate in full. He quickly took out his phone and activated its Pokédex application to scan the attacking creature. "Gumshoos… The evolution of Yungoos?!" he yelped in surprise. In the meantime, his comrade growled angrily at his adversary, while the red aura shrouding him grew immensely. All of a sudden, a dark energy overtook the form of the Stakeout Pokémon, who instantaneously sped off to his enemy's surprise as he searched for him with a panicked expression on his face. He didn't realize that his opponent was right behind him until he was smacked aside by his front right leg, slamming into the wall in an instant. "YUNGOOS!" the Ketchum boy cried out. The smoke upon the impact cleared to reveal his teammate lying upon the ground with swirls in his eyes, indicating that he was unable to continue.

"Gummm…" the Normal type that defeated him growled, turning back towards the lightning mage, who readjusted his cap before pulling out a Poké Ball from his belt.

"Okay, your turn!" he bellowed, tossing the containment in his hand. It popped open, and the light that spilled out formed into Pikipek, who flew about the cavern around his foe.

"Peek?!" he squawked in surprise upon seeing his fainted ally. Realizing what had happened, he glared down at the Stakeout Pokémon.

"Let's take him down, Pikipek!" his trainer yelled to his comrade, "Use Rock Smash!" he commanded quickly. Making his beak glow a reddish-orange, the Woodpecker Pokémon dove down and struck the chest of his target, sending him flying into another wall in a flurry of dust.

"Guh… shoo…" the Gumshoos grunted angrily as he emerged from the cloud of dust that had formed, letting a dark aura overtake his form once again. Calvin was quick to react.

"Pikipek, Supersonic!" he called out.

"PEEEEEEKKK!" the Normal/Flying type screeched as he unleashed a powerful sound wave onto his foe, who flinched before trying to cover his ears.

"GUHHHH!" he screamed in agony, stumbling around.

"Now Rock Smash!" the capped boy ordered as he swung his right arm out to the side. As his beak glowed a reddish-orange once more, the bird-like creature took advantage of the opening he had and slammed himself straight into the gut of the opposing Normal type, crashing right into a den with him and making it collapse. A few moments passed as he flew out from the cloud of dirt, perching himself onto his trainer's shoulder. Once it cleared, it revealed that the last of the three Pokémon they were required to defeat in order to move on had fainted.

"Gummm…" he groaned in agony as swirls were in his eyes.

"All right, we did it!" Calvin exclaimed in realization. However, that moment of joy was instantly replaced with dread. "Yungoos!" he cried out, hurriedly running down to his other teammate, kneeling down next to him as Pikipek hopped off of his shoulder.

"Goooohhh…" the Loitering Pokémon groaned in agony as he slightly.

"Peek pek?" his teammate asked worriedly with a tilt of his head.

"Ergh…" the Ketchum boy growled in frustration, pulling out a Poké Ball from his belt, "Sorry, Yungoos…" he apologized, having the containment unleash a beam of red light onto the Normal type, "Guess we're gonna have to finish this trial without you…" he realized before his comrade materialized into the luminosity and went into the spherical container.

"Peek, pik?" the Woodpecker Pokémon questioned as he flew beside his master.

"It'll be fine," he reassured, "All we gotta do is go through that tunnel there and-"

"Well, well, well…" a familiar voice repeated, interrupting him. The trainer and his Pokémon both widened their eyes. There was no conceivable way that it was who they both thought it was. But as they turned their heads, their hopes were dashed. It was the pair of Team Skull members they had stopped yesterday at the marina.

"You guys?!" the lightning mage yelled, turning to face the approaching thugs.

"Hey, you remembered us!" A noted with a grin underneath the bandana over his face. Both Zubat and Drowzee were with them as well, prepared to battle.

"Guess you know what's comin' for you, kid," B added as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, "You're here on your first trial, ain't that right?" he guessed. Calvin tensed up, but remained stoic. He wasn't about to let these two goons ruin the start of his island challenge.

"Pikipek, Peck!" he commanded.

"Peek!" the Woodpecker Pokémon chirped, flying up and zooming towards the Psychic type as a red, bird-shaped aura shrouded his form. Suddenly though, something struck him upside the head in an instant, causing him to fall right to the ground.

"Pikipek?!" the Ketchum boy yelped, widening his eyes in disbelief. He had no idea what had just happened. He then took notice of a new figure that had landed beside the Team Skull members. It was a Rattata, but he was very different in appearance. He had dark gray fur and grayish-purple ear insides. There were two tufts of fur on each ear and near the tip of his tail. His long, thin whiskers were replaced by shorter, thicker tufts of fur as well. The line where his cream underbelly met his gray fur was ragged instead of smooth.

"Rah!" he hissed angrily.

"Wh-What the heck?!" Calvin stuttered, pulling out his phone to get a picture of the dark furred Mouse Pokémon. After doing so, his application scanned it, giving him the information on the creature. "An Alolan Rattata?" he said upon seeing the image.

' _So he's Miss Emily's Meowth…_ ' he realized, putting his device away.

"Peek…" Pikipek chirped weakly as he shook his head, flying up from the ground and floating beside his trainer.

"Hey A, B," a female voice chimed in, catching everyone's attention as they looked to see a woman approach them, wearing the same outfit as her cohorts, except she wore short white shorts and had pink hair reaching down to her neck, "this the kid who showed you up back in Hau'oli?" she inquired, pointing towards the trial-goer.

"Yeah, that's him," the former of the two men responded, "Pay him back for us, G!" he requested with a pump of his fist.

"With pleasure," their female ally answered, narrowing her eyes onto the lightning mage.

' _I guess these guys want payback for getting beat at the marina…_ ' he realized as a drop of sweat trickled down from his forehead, ' _Let's see… that Rattata's a Dark and Normal type…_ ' he inwardly mumbled, balling his fists, ' _so Fighting type moves are our best bet!_ ' he declared through his thoughts.

"Pikipek, Rock Smash!" he commanded quickly.

"Peek!" the Woodpecker Pokémon squawked as he made his beak glow a reddish-orange again, about to ram into his new foe with it.

"Man, you really weren't paying attention, were you?" the girl inquired rhetorically, causing Calvin to perk up in surprise, "Well, it's your loss," she muttered with a simple shrug, "Hyper Fang!" she bellowed. Her partner leapt about immediately, colliding with his foe as his teeth glowed a bright white and sharpened before biting down on his beak. An explosion occurred at the point of contact, enveloping both of them within a cloud of smoke.

"Pikipek!" the lightning mage cried out. Something then fell out from the cloud and struck the ground hard. Once the dust finally settled, it revealed that the Normal/Flying was lying upon the earth in a fainted daze, while the Rattata landed safely.

"Hah!" the Team Skull member laughed with her hands at her hips, "Told ya," she remarked mockingly. The Ketchum boy couldn't believe it. His teammate who had beaten Ilima's Smeargle… just lost? He shook his head to rid himself of any doubts.

"Thanks for the hard work, Pikipek," he said in gratitude, returning him to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, "Take a good rest," he added, putting the container back onto his belt.

"So… you still got one more left in you?" the girl in front of him guessed in a mocking tone. It pissed him off. He grabbed his last Poké Ball and enlarged it by pressing its center button.

"Litten, go!" he shouted, tossing it out. As the light popped out of it and formed upon the ground, it dissipated to reveal the Fire Cat Pokémon.

"Mraaaww!" she roared, but began blinking in surprise as she saw the goons ahead of her.

"Litten, we gotta beat these guys in order to finish up the trial!" Calvin called out to her, getting her attention, "Let's take 'em down!" he shouted.

"Mraahh!" she responded with a nod, glaring down her opponents.

"Ain't that cute?" B remarked with an arched eyebrow.

"Too bad we don't play by your rules with your buddies not around…" A added, "Drowzee, Confusion!" he ordered.

"Drowww…" the Hypnosis Pokémon uttered as his eyes glowed a bright purple. All of a sudden, the Fire type found herself within an outline of the same color, unable to move as she clenched her teeth.

"Litten!" her trainer cried out in a panic.

"Now Quick Attack!" G shouted. Rattata suddenly sped out, shrouding himself in a white outline before slamming head on into the face of his target, sending her tumbling back.

"Lit…" she growled, getting back on her feet quickly.

"All right, Ember!" the lightning mage commanded. He was panicked. As the red tufts on the kitten-like creature spiked up for her to fire off a fireball from her mouth, Zubat dove in and bit her neck with her glowing white teeth.

"MRRAAAAAOOOWWWW!" she screamed in agony.

"LITTEN!" Calvin exclaimed with a frightened expression. Now he was really panicked.

"And don't think we're gonna let you pull the same crap as last time!" B declared with a pump of his fist again, "Take him down, G!" he yelled to his female friend.

"That's the plan, you idiots!" she responded, "Rattata, Pursuit!" she ordered. A dark aura similar to the one Gumshoos had earlier shrouded the Alolan Mouse Pokémon before he sped out and smacked aside his target with his tail, sending her crashing into an empty den.

"Litten, no!" her trainer yelled out. Now he was scared. Upon seeing the dust clear, he widened his eyes to see his first Pokémon lying fainted upon the earth on her side, with several marks across her body and dirt all over her once clean fur.

"Ha, ha, ha!" A laughed mockingly, "See that, kid?!" he shouted towards the trial-goer, "Ain't nobody messes with Team Skull and gets away with it!" he mentioned proudly. Picking the Fire type up in his arms, the Ketchum boy had a few tears forming in his eyes.

"Aw, you gonna start crying, you little baby~?" the pink haired woman mocked in question.

"I…I…" the capped boy stuttered, remembering being sent off by his parents, wishing him the best of luck for his journey, "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" he declared fiercely as tears streaked down his face. But he turned around and ran off, causing the goons to all laugh.

"Yeah, right! This is our turf now!" the men stated proudly, having driven the once confident island challenger out of the cavern.

 **X**

"Aaaahhhh~…" Erika yawned as she awoke the next morning, having been asleep at her desk. She blushed a little in embarrassment as she noticed the small puddle of drool right next to her brother's open notebook. After Rotom had been introduced to Mirajane and Leslie, it quickly powered to recharge, thus leaving its user to study on her own. She was surprised that he had left the notebook behind in the first place, but then recalled how he offered to give it to her as a means to study the night before their exam. The night he told her why he changed his mind about partaking in the island challenge. "Huh…" she sighed.

' _Cal… I wish I was more like you…_ ' she inwardly admitted as she arched her head back to stare at the ceiling, ' _You knew exactly what you were doing against everyone in the tournament, while I just let Popplio and Rockruff try to do the work for me…_ ' she noted through thought, balling her fists as a serious expression came across her face, ' _I won't fall behind,_ ' she declared to herself. After a few moments, she was dressed. She looked into her bedroom mirror to adjust her flowery hat, setting it atop her head. She smiled. The clothes she once thought were ridiculous suddenly reflected a change in her life. She grabbed her bag off of her bed and stuck her sibling's notebook in it, making sure to get both of her Poké Balls as well.

" _Are you sure you don't need more study time, zzt?_ " the Pokédex asked, having woken up to her surprise as she looked back at it.

"No, I'm ready," she responded with a grin, "I'll see you later, Rotodex!" she cried out before exiting the room in a hurry.

" _Good luck, zzt!_ " it cheered as it raised its arms.

"Oh, Erika!" Mirajane yelped as she saw her younger daughter race by and grab a piece of toast off of the counter.

"Sorry, mom!" she apologized quickly as she hurried out the front door, "Love you! Bye!" she exclaimed rapidly before exiting in an instant, sticking the bread in her mouth and scarfing it down piece by piece.

"Boy, she's really eager today…" Leslie noted from the couch, eating some scrambled eggs while watching the news on the television. Her mother smiled. She was happy that the aspiring kunoichi had found a sense of purpose to strive towards something.

"Huh… huh…" she breathed heavily once she arrived at the gates to the school, having eaten her rather bland breakfast. A look of determination came across her face as she walked onto the grounds, heading inside the building. Moments later though, it turned into dread. "Wh…Why are there so many people?!" she screamed in disbelief, seeing several students seated outside of the classroom.

"Oh, we're all taking the test one by one," a spectacled boy replied, catching her attention, "You can sign in over there so your name can get called," he mentioned, pointing towards a clipboard that was hung next to the door with a list of names.

"Why aren't we all taking the test together though?" the Ketchum girl asked curiously, arching an eyebrow.

"What, you didn't know?" another boy chimed in, "You _have_ to _ace_ the whole retake exam in order to pass," he told her. This was not something Kukui had informed her about. She had studied all day yesterday and all night long, but would it be enough? Did she know everything cold? Her expression contorted into one of stress as her legs quivered. Just then, a pigtailed girl walked out of the room with her head hanging low.

"Aw man…" she groaned, trudging by the others in a defeated state. It was obvious that she didn't pass. Erika was growing more nervous. And when she saw Emily there crossing off the girl's name on the checklist, she gulped. It seemed as if over half of the kids that were here for the retake had already failed.

' _Am I gonna be able to do this?_ ' she wondered as her legs kept shaking, ' _No, I can't think like that!_ ' she scolded inwardly, shaking her head to try and clear her doubts, ' _I just have to get in there and do my best!_ ' she declared through her thoughts. Once the teacher led her next student in, she went over and wrote her name on the board. With each passing minute, she flipped through the pages of her brother's notebook, reading the material within it. Did it stick? Would it be ingrained in her mind? These questions kept popping up over and over in her head. She couldn't shake them, especially with every student walking out of that room either crying or voicing their frustrations in failing. By the time the clock struck noon, she was the only one left waiting. The last kid to come out from the classroom before her was the same boy she had started talking with before. She smiled for a moment as it looked as if he was ready to burst with joy, but when she saw the tears streaking comically down his cheeks, she grimaced in realization.

"And next is… Erika!" Emily said, looking over at the aspiring kunoichi as she gulped. She closed the notebook and stuck it away in her bag.

"I-I'm ready, Miss Emily…" she stammered, evidently nervous. A moment later, she was sitting at a desk in the classroom by herself, receiving a packet of paper that she assumed was her examination.

"I'm sure you've already heard from the others who've taken this test," the spectacled woman began to the Ketchum girl, "but you have to answer _all_ of the questions correctly in order to pass," she told her.

"R-Right," she stuttered in reply, readying her pencil. A deep breath was then inhaled and exhaled. She started to write. One by one, questions on the paper were being answered. Were they right? She thought so. No, she knew so. She was brimming with confidence, but her stress could still be seen by the beads of sweat forming on her head. With a few final strokes of her pencil after twenty long minutes, she finally stood up from her seat and took the test up to her teacher.

' _This is it…_ ' she inwardly muttered, balling her fists as she inspected the packet in full, ' _Either I get my amulet or I don't,_ ' she said to herself, shutting her eyes.

"Well, well…" the scarf wearing woman repeated in an impressed tone, much to her surprise, "You certainly did all you could," she noted, writing something down in red pen, "Congratulations," she complimented, having marked her retake with an "100". The short haired girl couldn't believe it. She aced the exam?

"WOOHOO!" she cheered excitedly with a pump of her right fist, "Island Challenge, here I come!" she declared with sparkles in her eyes.

"Well, not quite yet," Emily mentioned, standing up from her seat.

"Huh?" Erika uttered, glancing over at her with a dumbfounded expression.

"Those who pass the written portion have to partake in a battle portion, remember?" she inquired with a sly grin. Recalling the tournament from a few days ago, the Ketchum girl gulped.

"B-But who am I… b-battling?" she stuttered out in question. The teacher chuckled.

"You'll be battling your teacher, of course!" she replied, gesturing towards herself, "I want to see just how far you've come in these past few days," she added. Though her stress had returned yet again, the aspiring trial-goer kept her fists clenched, determined to walk away with an amulet.

 **X**

Walking out onto the school field outside felt like a whole journey to Erika with how long it took to get there. She stood on the end opposite to the stone wall and metal fence on the other side, while her spectacled opponent took to the other end. She pulled out a Poké Ball from her belt and enlarged it by pressing its center button.

"Meowth, you're up!" she exclaimed, tossing the container up into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth from it onto the ground came into form, dissipating to reveal the Alolan Scratch Cat Pokémon.

"Meeeow…" he purred as he brushed the whiskers on the left side of his face.

' _That's the same Meowth she showed us in class!_ ' the Ketchum girl remembered, reaching down to her belt, ' _It's a Dark type, so-_ ' Her thoughts were halted once she saw another Poké Ball get tossed and open up. The light from it formed in midair to reveal a Magnemite.

"Uh… what?!" she yelped in surprise.

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" Emily inquired as she blinked, "This will be a double battle between your two Pokémon and mine," she told her, placing her hands at her hips.

"B-But we never did double battles in-!" The short haired girl stopped herself. She realized what was going on. No matter how unfair this seemed to her, she knew that she had to work harder than everyone else in order to meet their level. She had been ignorant, so she was paying the price by having to take on a tougher challenge.

"Looks like you understand," her teacher noted, seeing her take out both of her Poké Balls.

"We're not going to lose," she stated firmly, enlarging both containers by pressing their center buttons, "Popplio, Rockruff, let's go!" she cried out as she threw them out. Both of them popped open, and the light spilling out of each of them formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal her two teammates.

"Ar!" the Sea Lion Pokémon barked.

"Ruf!" her Rock type partner yipped. Both had determined looks in their eyes, much like their trainer.

"All right…" Emily uttered, "you have the first move," she told her student.

"Thanks," she replied, "Popplio, Aqua Jet!" she commanded quickly. Immersing herself in water, the seal-like creature rocketed out at her opponents.

' _So starting off with an Aqua Jet, hm?_ ' the teacher inwardly noted, letting off a grin, ' _You've definitely been training, but that's not going to be enough to faze me,_ ' she mentioned through thought.

"Meowth, Fake Out!" she yelled. The Dark type then leapt up in front of his approaching foe, much to her surprise before he clapped his paws, making a shockwave of air come out from them. It caused the water surrounding his target to disperse as she fell to the ground in a daze.

"Popplio!" Erika cried out, "Rockruff, Tackle Meowth to back her up!" she told her other teammate.

"Rah!" he barked in reply, hurrying over.

"Magnemite, Magnet Bomb!" the spectacled woman ordered.

"MAG NE MYYYY…" the Magnet Pokémon buzzed, suddenly unleashing multiple light blue orbs of energy that formed in front of its face. Before he could properly react, the Puppy Pokémon was struck in a fierce explosion by the orbs, being sent flying back to the shock of his master.

"Now Thunder Shock on Popplio!" the instructor commanded. Electricity began building around the body of the Electric/Steel type as it turned its attention towards the Sea Lion Pokémon, who was currently shaking her head to regain herself.

"Popplio, watch out!" her trainer called out, catching her attention in the nick of time as she saw the small lightning bolt shot her way by her foe, hopping up to evade it.

"Impressive!" Emily complimented, "But I think you'll find we won't be giving you an easy victory!" she declared, swinging out her arms, "Fury Swipes!" she bellowed.

"Ar?" the Water type yipped in confusion before she widened her eyes to see the Alolan Scratch Cat Pokémon in front of her, drawing his claws with a sinister grin. He slashed at her over and over, sending her crashing down against the earth.

"Popplio!" the Ketchum girl cried out worriedly, gritting her teeth in frustration.

"Rah, rah ruff!" Rockruff suddenly barked towards her, getting her attention as she saw the reassuring look on his face as he nodded.

' _Right,_ ' she inwardly said as she nodded back, ' _I need to focus on what we can do to counter Miss Emily's moves,_ ' she noted to herself, ' _That Meowth's a Dark type and the Magnemite's an Electric & Steel type…_' she added through her thoughts.

"Rockruff, get in front of Popplio and use Howl!" she called out quickly.

"Ruf!" the Puppy Pokémon yipped in response, getting out in front of his partner as he was prepared to yell up into the air.

"I don't think so!" Emily yelled, "Meowth, Bite!" she commanded as she pointed towards the Rock type. The cat-like creature lunged out with his teeth glowing a bright white, about to chomp down on his foe's head. Erika cracked a smirk.

"Disarming Voice!" she ordered, much to her instructor's surprise. As the dog-like creature suddenly ducked, it allowed for his Water type comrade to jump out and unleash a high-pitched scream, releasing a beam of purple hearts that directly struck her target.

"MEEEOOWWWW!" he screeched in agony as he fell onto the ground.

"Oh my!" the teacher exclaimed in surprise, having not expected such a tactful play.

"RAHOOOOO!" Rockruff howled afterwards, causing a red aura to flow up his body.

"All right, use Bite on Magnemite!" his trainer commanded. He hurried out excitedly, passing the currently down Dark type before lunging out at the Magnet Pokémon. However, the spectacled woman cracked her own grin.

"You may have been able to catch me off guard," she began to say, "but let's see what happen when the shoe is on the other foot…" she implored, "Magnemite, Thunder Wave!" she yelled quickly.

"MAG," it responded just before it was bitten at its head. It fired off several rings of yellow electricity that struck his gnawing target, making him grimace as the energy began to spark around his body.

"Now Tackle!" its master commanded. Spinning around, the Electric/Steel type knocked its foe onto the ground, making him bounce off of it before he landed on his side, still sparking within the electricity.

"Rockruff, no!" Erika cried out in a panic.

"Meowth, use Screech!" Emily shouted suddenly. Getting back onto his ear, the Alolan Scratch Cat Pokémon arched his head back and puffed out his cheeks before screaming loudly, firing off a sonic wave that struck the Sea Lion Pokémon directly. A blue light flowed down her body in aftermath of the attack as she grimaced angrily.

"Oh man…" the Ketchum girl muttered in disbelief quietly. Her eyes shut. She was unable to comprehend how all that effort, all that studying, and all that training wasn't paying off.

' _What do I do? What can I do?!_ ' she asked herself hysterically, practically on the verge of tears. She wouldn't be getting an amulet. She never would.

"RAH, RUF!" the Puppy Pokémon suddenly barked loudly, causing her to instantly perk up and look over to see him standing despite the electricity sparking around his body.

"Arf!" Popplio yipped, making her look over to see her giving her a reassuring grin.

"Rockruff… Popplio…" she uttered, wiping away any tears that were forming in her eyes with her right arm.

' _Yeah, we've come too far to let ourselves lose here!_ ' she inwardly declared, noticing the sparks building around the dog-like creature's body, ' _Rockruff's like Serpence back when he fought Tapu Koko…_ ' she recalled, narrowing her eyes, ' _For now, I'll just make sure he's ready!_ ' she yelled through thought.

"Rockruff, Howl! Popplio, Water Gun on Meowth!" she called out to her teammates.

"RAHOOOOO!" the Rock type howled, making a red aura flow up his body once again. In the meantime, his partner arched her head back before unleashing a gush of water from his nostrils to strike the Dark type.

"Meowth, dodge and use Fury Swipes!" Emily bellowed, "Magnemite, Magnet Bomb!" she commanded in addition. Evading the water, the Alolan Scratch Cat Pokémon drew his claws and leapt out at his seal-like foe.

"Aqua Jet!" Erika exclaimed. Immersing herself in water, her starter rocketed herself away from her cat-like foe to his shock, shooting out towards his ally. Just as it was about to fire off an array of blue energy orbs at the paralyzed Puppy Pokémon, it was suddenly struck head on by the Water type.

"Ah!" the teacher gasped in surprise, seeing the Electric/Steel type tumble in midair.

"We're not done yet!" the aspiring trial-goer yelled, "Rockruff, Rock Throw!" she ordered. Making the stones around his neck glow a bright white, a multicolored orb of energy formed around the dog-like creature's tail. The sparkles that emerged from it then became rocks that shines in a white outline, being fired out to hit the Magnet Pokémon in an instant.

"Magnemite!" the spectacled woman cried out, seeing it crash into the ground in a flurry of dust. Once it cleared, it revealed that the machine-like creature had a swirl in its lone eye, indicating that it was no longer able to battle.

"Ruf, ruff!" Rockruff yipped excitedly.

' _That's one down…_ ' Erika noted inwardly, glancing over at Meowth with the same serious expression on her face, ' _And one more to go!_ ' she exclaimed through her thoughts.

"Use Rock Throw on Meowth!" she commanded quickly. Turning around, the Puppy Pokémon was prepared to fire off the same attack as before, only to stop as the electricity began sparking wildly around his body, making him grimace in agony.

"Meowth, Bite!" Emily ordered. The Alolan Scratch Cat Pokémon jumped out towards his Rock type foe as his teeth glowed a bright white, prepared to chomp down on him like he attempted to do before. And the Ketchum girl smirked again.

"Popplio, Disarming Voice!" she shouted while throwing out her arm. All of a sudden, the Sea Lion Pokémon leapt out and unleashed a high-pitched screech with a beam of purple hearts once again, striking her Dark type target as he was sent careening back in a loud yell.

"M-Meowth!" the teacher stammered, evidently stunned.

"Finish him with Aqua Jet!" her student yelled passionately.

"Ar!" her teammate barked in response, enveloping herself in a torrent of water before rocketing out and slamming into the torso of her opponent before striking the ground with him. A flurry of dust followed the attack, veiling the entire field. It took a few moments for it to clear. When it did, the aspiring trial-goer widened her eyes and smiled.

"Meeowww…" the cat-like creature groaned as he lied upon the dirt with swirls in his eyes. She had… No. They had done it. They won. The spectacled woman was stunned. Her student, who had shown no regard to her studies for the past week, had now come out on top.

"ALL RIGHT!" she exclaimed as she jumped up excitedly.

"Pua, pop!" the Water type barked happily while clapping her front flippers.

"Rah-! ER!" Rockruff suddenly grunted, still having the electricity sparking around his body.

"Oh, Rockruff!" his trainer cried out, hurriedly running over to him. After returning her two Pokémon to their Poké Balls in beams of red light, Emily walked over as she reached into her pocket to pull out something.

"Here," she offered, handing what she had to the girl. She looked at it and widened her eyes to see that it was a Cheri Berry, much like the one her older sister used. She gave it to the Puppy Pokémon, who ate it quickly and swallowed, allowing for the electricity to disappear from his form.

"Ruf!" he yipped, licking his owner's cheek as she picked him up in her arms.

"Thank you, Miss Emily," she said in gratitude to the teacher, bowing her head slightly.

"No, thank you for showing me that you've changed," she retorted with a shake of her head to her surprise, "You're a determined girl, Erika," she pointed out as she rummaged through her back pocket to take out another object, "Both your brother and the rest of your family saw that and wanted you to push forward," she added, showing her the amulet that she had.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused…" the Ketchum girl sheepishly apologized with a slight blush forming on her cheeks.

"Apology accepted, Erika," the spectacled woman replied, giving her the trinket, "Congratulations," she said. Looking at her new amulet, the new trial-goer smiled brightly. She had never felt so happy in her life.

"Thanks again, Miss Emily!" she exclaimed before picking up Popplio and running off suddenly, "I won't forget what you did for me!" she mentioned with a wide grin.

"Heh," the instructor chuckled, "Nor will I," she whispered, seeing her head off.

 **X**

"Guys! Check out what we got!" Erika exclaimed excitedly the moment she slammed the door open to her house. However, her expression soon shifted into one of concern as she noticed her mother fidgeting on the phone, while her sister was watching with her fists balled. "B-Balloon boobs?" she stuttered out, catching the white haired girl's attention.

"Oh, Erika!" she yelped in surprise, going over and greeting her with a hug, "Sorry, mom just got a call from Ilima about something that happened during Cal's trial," she explained, much to her surprise.

"C-Cal?" she stuttered in surprise, wondering what could've happened.

"All right, thank you," Mirajane finished, setting the phone back onto its console as she sighed in a relieved tone.

"Is Calvin okay?" her eldest daughter asked, getting her attention.

"He's fine… but a little shaken up," she replied, noticing the short haired girl, "Oh, Erika!" she yelped happily, clasping her hands together, "Did you get your amulet?!" she inquired excitedly, seemingly avoiding the subject she'd been talking about.

"Um… yeah…" the new trial-goer replied, "Mom, what happened to Cal?" she asked worriedly, causing her to blink in surprise.

"During his trial, he was jumped by a group of thugs…" she told her, much to her surprise as her eyes widened, "He was able to get away, but his Pokémon were all defeated…" she mentioned, evidently upset by the situation.

"And now those guys seem to have control over Verdant Cavern," Leslie added, folding her arms underneath her chest, "Damn it…" she cursed under her breath.

"I'll go pack my things," Erika suddenly said, walking over to her room to the surprise of the two women.

"E-Erika?" her mother stuttered.

"I'm gonna go out there tomorrow and beat those guys so Cal can finish his trial," she declared with a serious look in her eyes as her teammates seemed to feel the same.

 **END**

 **Erika has her amulet now! But Calvin got beat by Team Skull! What's gonna happen next?!**

 **Here's the summary for the next chapter!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Hurrying out to Verdant Cavern, Erika is on her mission to take down Team Skull to let her brother finish his first trial. But will she be able to beat three members all by herself?! And what awaits the challengers who reach the end of the cavern?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to leave a favorite, follow, or even a review! Right now though, it'll be back to "Traitor" to complete the next episode!**


	9. The Good, The Bad, & The Totem!

**Alola! After a little break to get "Traitor" chapters taken care of, I'm back with more of this story featuring the OC Ketchum twins! Last time we left off, Erika finally got her amulet to go on her journey! However, she learned about her brother's trial being interrupted by Team Skull, so now she's on her way to go and help him.**

 **What'll happen? Let's find out!**

 **POKÉMON SUN & MOON**

 **THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME**

"Erika, wait a minute!" Mirajane screamed as her youngest daughter was already getting her shoes onto her feet. She had barely slept last night. How could she with the knowledge that her brother was jumped by thugs? She had scarfed down her breakfast and got her clothes on in quite a hurry. There was no way she was going to wait any longer.

"Sorry, mom!" she cried out in apology before she opened the door, ready to run down the porch steps.

"At least take your Pokémon and Pokédex with you!" Leslie yelled, causing her to stop in mid-stride. She slowly turned around with a reddening face to see her sister standing there with her arms folded underneath her chest, while Popplio, Rockruff, and Rotom were beside her.

"Uh, heh, heh…" the short haired girl laughed nervously. That was embarrassing. After returning both of her teammates to their respective Poké Balls in beams of red light, she placed them at her belt.

"Be careful, please," her mother pleaded as she hugged her tightly.

Mhm!" she squeaked in reply from being held onto. The goodbye hugs she once hated were still somewhat of an annoyance, but now she found them to also be endearing. She released herself from the take-over wizard's grasp, looking over at her sibling.

"Take care of yourself, kiddo," she advised with a smile. The once annoyed look on her face was now replaced with hope. She had hope that she could be proud of her little sister's accomplishments, should she strive to succeed. Unfortunately, that seemed to be undercut when…

"Boop!" the aspiring kunoichi exclaimed as she poked her sibling's left breast.

"WAH!" she yelped in surprise as she jerked back, "ERIKA!" she screamed angrily with a reddening face.

"Hee, hee!" her sister giggled cheekily, "Thanks for the raincheck, Leslie," she said in gratitude, much to the surprise of the Unova Champion Master as she blinked.

" _We should probably hurry, zzt,_ " the Pokédex buzzed, catching its user's attention as it was floating beside her head.

"Yeah, let's go!" she declared, turning around and heading out the door, "Bye!" she cried out before leaving.

"Huh…" Mirajane sighed, "That girl's been a real handful…" she admitted, placing her right hand onto her cheek.

"But she's definitely going places," her eldest daughter noted in reply as she smiled, "…I'm excited for her," she admitted.

"Me too," her mother agreed. Not even a minute had passed before Erika found herself at the beachfront to Hau'oli City, panting out of exhaustion.

" _Are you all right, zzt?_ " Rotom asked, seeing her place her hands onto her knees.

"Yeah… I'm good…" she reassured in between breaths.

" _Why are you in such a rush anyway, zzt?_ " the converted Plasma Pokémon questioned curiously, " _Your mother said Calvin was all right, didn't she?_ " it asked on.

"I know Calvin's okay…" the short haired girl replied as she stood up fully and took a deep breath, "but I can't let those guys who attacked him get away with what they're doing," she stated firmly, "That's why I wanna get to them as soon as possible," she told it. It blinked in surprise.

" _Then allow me to be your guide, zzt!_ " it declared happily, having a map appear upon its screen, " _I have calculated that walking to the Pokémon Center near Verdant Cavern will take forty minutes by walking, zzt!_ " it told her.

"FORTY?!" she screamed in shock. She groaned and slouched down. It was going to be a long morning.

"Peek…" Pikipek chirped sadly as he perched himself upon his trainer's shoulder. He and his teammates had bandages over their forms from yesterday's attempted trial. The Ketchum boy was silently looking out the window, seated at a couch next to a coffee table with a despondent look on his face.

"Hey cuz!" Hau's voice greeted, catching his attention as he saw him approach with a pair of plastic cups filled with hot cocoa in his hands, "Figured you'd want something to wake up with," he pointed out to him. He smiled. Last night, he had hardly slept. While Ilima was busily making calls to the police for assistance, Hau worriedly watched his cousin go through a series of emotions. Anger, frustration, sadness, and regret. He knew Calvin was always an optimist and a go-getter, so this was jarring for him to see.

"Well, the good news is the police will be here," the trial captain chimed in, catching their attentions as they saw him approach, "The bad news is that they won't be here for a couple more hours," he told them.

"Aw, seriously?" Hau responded out of frustration.

"That's okay…" his cousin said, much to his surprise as he looked over at him, "I mean, they'll catch those guys at any rate, right?" he inquired. Hau wasn't sure how to answer. He knew Team Skull members were slippery like a den of Ekans. They could easily get away from the police. And the worst part was, Calvin wouldn't be able to get even with them.

"Rest assured, once those cronies are out of the cave, we'll get your trial back up and running," Ilima reassured to the trial-goer. But his despondent expression hardly changed. He was too frustrated with himself to even care. How did he and his team lose to a group of thugs?

"Mraw…" Litten purred worriedly as she approached her trainer from the other side of the couch, where Yungoos was sleeping. Both she and Pikipek nuzzled against Calvin, but it wasn't working. It seemed like nothing would alleviate his doubts. Then doors slid open.

"Hm?" Ilima uttered, turning around and letting out an audible gasp. The two boys also took notice, widening their eyes.

"Huh… huh…!" an exhausted-looking Erika breathed out. Sweat was practically pouring down her face. "Help me…!" she pleaded before falling face first onto the floor. Rotom floated overhead with a somewhat surprised expression.

" _It appears you're starting to suffer from dehydration, zzt,_ " it buzzed bluntly.

"Erika!" Calvin exclaimed, immediately getting up from his seat with Hau. Moments later, Erika found herself guzzling down an entire bottle of water.

"Pah!" she gasped in relief once she finished, "Thank you…" she said in gratitude to the trial captain who had given her the water.

"What are you doing here?" her brother asked curiously as she put the empty bottle down, "I thought you were staying home because you didn't pass the class…" he noted out of surprise.

"Things changed, Cal," his sister retorted in reply, "More importantly, how are you holding up?" she asked as she gave off a concerned look. He turned his head away ashamedly.

"F-Fine…" he choked out. It was evident that he didn't want to talk about it. Just then, a pair of lights emitted from Erika's shorts, forming upon the floor and dissipating to reveal Popplio and Rockruff.

"Pua, pop!" the former of the two barked, hopping onto the couch next to Litten, "Arf?" she questioned out of concern to her.

"Mrow…" the Fire Cat Pokémon growled, seating herself down and turning her head away in a pouting manner.

"Hey, Litten…" Calvin said in a reprimanding tone.

"Peek, pik pek?" Pikipek chirped as he flew over and landed beside his upset teammate.

"Hey, who's that?" Erika asked curiously as she blinked.

" _Oh, allow me, zzt!_ " Rotom responded, floating out in front of her and displaying an image of the bird-like creature upon the screen, " _Pikipek, the Woodpecker Pokémon,_ " it began, " _This Pokémon feeds on berries, whose leftover seeds become the ammunition for the attacks he fires off from his mouth. He may look spindly, but his neck muscles are heavy-duty. He can peck at a tree 16 times per second!_ " it explained.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Erika exclaimed, "Guess you've been making more friends as usual, huh?" she inquired with a chuckle. Calvin's lips trembled.

"Wh…Why are you acting like this… Erika?" he asked, starting to tear up a little as everyone looked on worriedly, "You don't… care about any of this, don't you?" he questioned on to her. She placed a hand onto his shoulder.

"I care about my brother," she responded, giving him a soft smile, "And… I owed you one for trying to get me in the game back at school…" she added as she glanced down at the floor somberly for a moment.

' _THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!_ ' she remembered screaming the day he got his amulet, when she didn't. That was one of the biggest regrets of her life. She blamed him for her own faults. Her own mistakes.

"I'm sorry for what I said, Cal," she apologized, making him blink in surprise, "And I wanna make it up to you," she added in declaration, standing up from her seat, "That's why we're gonna go in that cave and take those guys down," she stated as she balled her fists.

"Wh-What?!" Hau stammered in surprise. Calvin and his Pokémon were shocked by the proposal as well. Ilima had widened eyes, but remained firm as he approached Erika.

"As much as I would like to give those thugs a lesson, I'd rather leave it to the police," he told her seriously, "Plus, you aren't exactly permitted to enter Verdant Cavern without an Island Challenge amulet," he mentioned. She reached into her bag afterwards.

"You mean like this?" she inquired, causing him to perk up before gasping to see the trinket she had earned.

"Hey, you got your amulet!" Hau beamed excitedly upon seeing it.

"You… passed the retake?" Calvin uttered in disbelief. His twin sister looked over at him and smiled.

"It was really tough… but we did it together," she told him, looking over at her Pokémon, who grinned back at her, "Mister Ilima," she began to the trial captain, "I know it should be the police's job to handle these guys…" she continued as she balled her fists, "but I can't just let them get away with hurting my brother and his team!" she shouted fiercely.

"Rah!" Rockruff barked in agreement.

"Arf!" Popplio exclaimed. Ilima was stunned. This was a new side he hadn't seen of Erika before. And he admired that passion.

"Very well then," he said, causing her to blink in confusion, "Since you have your amulet, I'll let you enter the cave," he told her. She beamed for a moment. "However," he continued, making her stiffen and listen carefully, "if things get bad, please don't hesitate to call for my help," he advised seriously.

"…Don't worry," Erika responded after a moment, "We'll beat those guys and let Cal finish his trial!" she stated firmly. Her brother was shocked. She had changed just like he had. She was determined, driven, and most of all, ready to face up to the challenge.

 **The Good, The Bad, & The Totem!**

After some time, Erika was in front of the entrance to Verdant Cavern with Popplio and Rockruff standing beside her.

" _Ilima mentioned that those Team Skull numbskullz might be trying to capture the Pokémon inside, zzt,_ " Rotom explained, catching Erika's attention for a moment.

"Whatever they're up to, it's no good," she reaffirmed, clenching her fists, "so we'll stop them here," she declared.

"Ruf!" Rockruff yipped with a nod. Popplio did the same.

"Ugh…" A groaned in frustration as he looked through one of the cavern dens, "B, you find anything?" he asked his comrade, who was checking another den.

"Got nothin'…" he replied as he folded his arms over his chest and squatted down with an annoyed expression, "Yo, sis!" he cried out to the pink haired woman, catching her attention, "We should bail before Ilima gets the cops out here!" he recommended.

"No way, idiot," G responded, "There's supposed to be this super powerful Pokémon in here that the boss'd love to have…" she noted with narrowed eyes, "Maybe if I catch it, I'll get promoted to admin status!" she beamed excitedly.

"Whoa, like big sis?!" B exclaimed in surprise, blinking rapidly. None of them noticed Erika walk into the cavern with her Pokémon.

"Don't be dumb, B," A reprimanded, "Ain't nobody in the world except the boss can match big sis…" he muttered as sweat trickled down his face.

"Hey!" Erika's voice shouted suddenly, causing the three Team Skull members to perk up to see her there, "I don't think you guys are supposed to be here," she remarked, maintaining a serious expression.

"Another trial-goer kid?" A guessed while arching an eyebrow, "Jeez, and I thought the cops had shown up for a second…" he grumbled. Erika tensed up. It was obvious that they didn't see her as a threat.

"Well, whatever," G said, taking out and enlarging a Poké Ball in her right hand, "Let's just get rid of her like the last crybaby and find that Pokémon," she advised to her comrades.

' _Crybaby?_ ' Erika uttered inwardly. It took her a moment to realize that G was referring to Calvin. She balled her fists.

"Yeah, let's get 'er!" A declared, tossing up his own Poké Ball as B did the same. They both popped open, and the lights that poured out from them formed and dissipated to reveal Drowzee and Zubat respectively.

"Drow…" the Hypnosis Pokémon uttered with an ominous grin.

"Rrrrr…" Rockruff growled angrily as he and Popplio glared down their opponents.

"Ya know…" G began, catching their attentions, "you kinda look like that crybaby from the other day…" she noted curiously, "Don't tell me you're related, are you?" she inquired. Erika clenched her fists even tighter.

"Yeah, I am," she responded, "And we're gonna take you guys down for him!" she declared fiercely.

"Bwark!" Popplio barked in agreement.

"HAHAHAHA!" A cackled, holding his hips in his hands, "Oh yeah?!" he yelled mockingly.

"There's three of us and only one of you, girlie!" B mentioned, "A and I could take you easy, but with G here too…" he kept going.

"…You've got no chance!" the woman finished, throwing up her Poké Ball. It popped open, and the luminosity that emerged spilled onto the ground, forming and dissipating to reveal her Rattata.

"Rah!" he hissed.

"Ruf, rahk!" Rockruff yipped angrily. The sight of the Alolan Mouse Pokémon made Erika blink in surprise. She hadn't seen a Rattata like that before.

"Hey, Rotodex…" she said towards Rotom, catching its attention.

" _Leave it to me, zzt!_ " it buzzed in response, putting an image of the Dark/Normal type upon its screen, " _Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon. A Dark and Normal type,_ " it began, " _When the sun goes down, he becomes active. He runs around town on a chase for good food for the boss of his nest—Raticate. Night after night, they sneak into people's homes seeking food. A massive outbreak of them has become an issue of public concern,_ " it explained, letting the picture disappear.

"So he's an Alolan form like Miss Emily's Meowth…" Erika realized, narrowing her eyes in thought.

"Hey… is that a new Pokémon?" A inquired out of confusion upon seeing the Pokédex.

"Heh," G chuckled, "I guess we'll take it along with her other Pokémon," she stated, swinging her arm out, "Quick Attack!" she commanded.

"Rah ta!" Rattata replied, having a white outline appear over his form before dashing out at his foes.

"Popplio, counter it with Aqua Jet!" Erika cried out.

"Arf!" the Sea Lion Pokémon barked, immersing herself within water as she rocketed up to intercept Rattata. The two collided fiercely, knocking each other back as they landed upon the ground with droplets of water falling with them like rain.

"Oh?" G uttered in surprise, arching an eyebrow.

"Rockruff, Howl!" Erika shouted.

"RAAAAAHHHHOOOOO!" the Rock type howled, causing a reddish aura to flow up his body.

"Tch," B scoffed, folding his arms over his chest, "You don't scare us, girlie!" he yelled, "Zubat, Absorb!" he ordered. Zubat screeched as he dove down towards Rockruff, making his fangs glow a bright green as he was ready to sink them into his target's neck.

"Dodge and Tackle!" Erika commanded quickly. Ducking away from Zubat, Rockruff leapt up and slammed into him head first, sending him flying away and crashing into a den.

"Ah, Zubat!" B gasped in surprise.

"So this girl wants to really mess with us, huh?" A noted as he narrowed his eyes, "Drowzee, Confusion!" he ordered.

"Drow…" the Hypnosis Pokémon hummed as his eyes glowed a bright purple. All of a sudden, Rockruff found himself unable to move, encased in a purple outline.

"RAH!" he yelped loudly as he was flung into the rocky wall in an instant with a flurry of dust to follow by Drowzee's psychic force.

"Rockruff!" Erika cried out, growling in frustration, "Popplio, Water Gun!" she ordered to the Sea Lion Pokémon.

"Arf!" she barked in response, leaping up and shooting out a stream of water from her nostrils. It splashed onto Drowzee, causing him to stumble back slightly.

"Eat this!" A yelled, "Drowzee, Disable!" he called out.

"Drow…" the Hypnosis Pokémon uttered with a devious smirk, making his eyes flash a bright white as he stared at Popplio.

"Ar?" she yipped in confusion as she blinked.

"Hit him with another Water Gun, Popplio!" Erika commanded, catching her attention.

"Pua!" she barked, reeling her head back to launch more water from her nostrils. But nothing happened. "A-Ar?" she stuttered in surprise. Erika was stunned as well.

"Pursuit!" G shouted. Without warning, Rattata suddenly dashed in in front of Popplio with a dark aura shrouding his form, spinning around to slam his tail into her face to send her flying into an empty den.

"Popplio!" Erika screamed worriedly, "Rotodex, what just happened?!" she asked frantically to her Pokédex.

" _Disable is a move that prevents a target from using the move they last used for a while, zzt,_ " Rotom replied, making her grimace worriedly, " _And that Rattata's ability is Hustle,_ " it mentioned.

"Hustle?" Erika uttered in confusion as she blinked.

" _It's an ability that increases a Pokémon's attack power at the expense of accuracy,_ " the Pokédex explained to her.

"Accuracy…" she repeated, glancing down in thought. She looked back over to see the Pokémon of the Team Skull members gathering together, then over towards her own comrades, who arose with angered expressions on their faces.

"Tch," A scoffed, "Guess they're still kickin'…" he grumbled out of frustration, slouching a little.

"Not for long…" G said, swinging her arm out, "Use Quick Attack!" she commanded.

"Rah!" Rattata responded, dashing out as a white outline shrouded his form.

"Rockruff, Rock Throw!" Erika yelled. Letting the rocks around his neck glow a bright white, Rockruff made a multicolored orb of light appear upon his tail. The orb then dissolved into multiple sparkles that became stones shrouded by a white outline, being subsequently fired towards Rattata. He skillfully evaded them though, speeding by each one before positioning himself to be right above Rockruff.

"Hah!" G laughed, "How 'bout we take care of your dumb little Rockruff first?!" she inquired loudly, "Hyper Fang!" she ordered. Making his teeth sharped and shine a bright white, Rattata dove down towards Rockruff, ready to bite him. Erika cracked a smirk.

"Popplio, Disarming Voice!" she shouted. Leaping up, the Sea Lion Pokémon shrieked to unleashed a stream of purple pink hearts from her mouth. They struck Rattata and sent him crashing into the ground.

"R-R-Rattata?!" G stuttered in shock.

"Fairy type moves are super effective against Dark types!" Erika noted as she grinned confidently.

" _You remembered, zzt!_ " Rotom beamed excitedly.

"No way!" B screamed out of disbelief, "G's Rattata got knocked back?!" he exclaimed.

"Tch!" A scoffed, clenching his fists, "Drowzee, hit that thing with another Disable!" he demanded of his partner.

"Drow…" the Hypnosis Pokémon hummed, staring intently at Popplio.

"Rockruff, Bite!" Erika ordered quickly.

"Rah!" the Puppy Pokémon barked, leaping up and making his teeth glow a bright white before chomping down on the nose of Drowzee.

"ZEEEEEEE!" he shrieked in agony. He then was pulled down to the ground by Rockruff, followed by being swung around rapidly.

"D-Drowzee!" A stammered in shock. The Hypnosis Pokémon was flung right at him, knocking them both down in a flurry of dust.

"A!" both B and G screamed. The dust settled to reveal their comrade lying on the ground in a daze, pinned by Drowzee as he had swirls in his eyes, indicating that he was defeated.

"And Dark type moves are super effective on Psychic types!" Erika added as she pumped her fist.

" _Correct, zzt!_ " Rotom responded, raising its right arm.

"Grrr…!" G growled angrily, "Rattata, Pursuit!" she commanded to her partner. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon had a dark aura shroud his form before he dashed out, spinning around in an attempt to strike Rockruff with his tail. He did so to the Puppy Pokémon's right side, but to his shock, the Rock type stood his ground.

"RAH!" he barked boomingly.

"Tackle!" Erika cried out. Planting his feet, Rockruff shoved Rattata off of him in an instant, followed by turning and slamming into him head on, sending him flying into an empty den in a flurry of dust.

"Ah!" G gasped with a frightened look on her face.

"Zubat, Wing Attack!" B ordered in a panicked tone. Making his wings glow a bright white, the Bat Pokémon soared down to try and attack Rockruff.

"Popplio, Aqua Jet!" Erika commanded as she swung her right arm out.

"Bwark!" the Sea Lion Pokémon responded before immersing herself in water, rocketing herself up to strike Zubat directly in the face, knocking him off balance.

"Wh-Wh-WHAT?!" B stuttered in disbelief with widened eyes.

"And Rock Throw!" Erika yelled quickly. Forming another multicolored orb of energy on the tip of his tail, Rockruff fired off several stones that all hit Zubat, resulting in a large cloud of smoke. The Bat Pokémon fell out from it onto the ground, lying in a daze.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" B screamed, "ZUBAT, GET UP!" he demanded in a panic, but to no avail as his partner was down for the count. G grimaced underneath her mask. Erika could tell and smirked, folding her arms over her chest.

"Thought you guys said you could take me three on one…" she remarked in a snarky tone.

" _That's not very sportsman-like, zzt…_ " Rotom pointed out bluntly.

"Oh, I can take you all by myself," G muttered as she balled her fists, "Rattata, Focus Energy!" she called out.

"Raaahh!" he hissed in response, having an orange outline surround his body as his muscles tightened.

"That move…" Erika uttered upon noticing.

" _By using Focus Energy, Rattata has a higher chance of landing a critical hit with one of his attacks, zzt,_ " Rotom explained to her, getting her attention.

"Hm…" she hummed in thought, "Well in that case…" she started to say.

"Now take down that Rockruff runt with Hyper Fang!" G commanded. Letting his tooth glow a bright white and sharpen, Rattata sped out towards the Puppy Pokémon with ferocity in his eyes.

"Popplio, knock him away with Disarming Voice!" Erika cried out.

"Arf!" the Sea Lion Pokémon yipped as she leapt up and let out a shriek, unleashing a stream of purple-pink hearts that struck Rattata and caused him to lose his footing and stumble.

"Ah!" G gasped. Now she was actually in trouble.

"Rockruff, Tackle! Popplio, Aqua Jet!" Erika ordered. The Puppy Pokémon lunged and slammed into Rattata head on, knocking him into the air. Before he could even think to regain himself, he was struck in the torso by a water-immersed Popplio, who took him up to the cavern ceiling. The water then dispersed around her as she glared at her almost incapacitated foe.

"R-Rattata…" G stammered out in disbelief.

"Finish it with Pound!" Erika shouted. Making her right flipper glow a bright white, Popplio span around and smacked Rattata in the face with it. He was sent crashing into the face of his own trainer, who fell to the ground in a pained grunt.

"AH! G!" B exclaimed in shock. Rattata had swirls in his eyes, indicating that he could no longer battle. All three of the Pokémon the Team Skull members had been defeated. Two of the group members were unconscious. He was the only one left with no friends to help him, no Pokémon to use. "U-Uh…" he stammered, sweating bullets.

"That's it from you, right?" Erika inquired to him as she stepped forward. Both Popplio and Rockruff gathered beside her.

"Y-You haven't seen the last of us!" B stuttered out in claim. Both A and G then awakened and sat up from the ground. The three Team Skull members widened their eyes at the angered look developing on Erika's face. Her eyes glowed in an ominous purple light, and her teeth sharpened.

"GET LOST," she demanded in an aggressive tone.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" the Team Skull members shrieked simultaneously in fright before they all scurried off with their Pokémon in tow. Erika blinked before her eyes returned to normal. She then placed her hand against her head.

"Whoa… what the heck?" she grumbled, stumbling back a little.

' _That was like-_ '

"Pua!" Popplio yipped happily, interrupting her thoughts as the Sea Lion Pokémon jumped into her arms. She smiled.

"Yeah, we won!" she exclaimed excitedly, "And now that those goons are out of the cavern, Cal can finish his trial!" she realized, embracing Popplio.

" _That's right, zzt!_ " Rotom concurred, " _So let's head on outta here and tell Ilima what happened, zzt,_ " it advised to its user.

"Right!" she replied with a nod. Then she noticed someone was missing, blinking in surprise. "Uh… Rockruff?" she called out, "Where'd you go?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Rah, ruff!" the Puppy Pokémon's voice barked, catching her attention along with the others as they saw him standing by the opening at the end of the cave.

" _Hey, what are you doing over there, zzt?!_ " Rotom loudly asked.

"Ruf, rah rahk!" Rockruff responded, turning around and heading into the opening.

"Ah, hey!" Erika yelled, running after him with Popplio still in her hands and Rotom floating beside her, "Rockruff, stop!" she demanded as she followed him inside. She blinked in surprise. Where the Rock type had run into was a large den without a roof, as the sunlight beat down onto the area.

" _What could this place be for, zzt?_ " Rotom wondered aloud.

"Ruff, ruf!" Rockruff barked, catching their attentions as they looked over to see him nearby a gold-colored pedestal at the end of the cavern. For a moment, Erika widened her eyes. She noticed that the markings upon the pedestal were the same as those on Calvin's Z-Ring. And then she saw the white crystal sitting atop it. It was shaped like a diamond, having an insignia similar to two circles. She put down Popplio and started walking towards the pedestal.

"Ar…?" the Sea Lion Pokémon uttered in confusion.

" _What are you doing, zzt?_ " Rotom asked as it blinked. Erika stopped in front of the pedestal, standing beside Rockruff. She reached her hand out to grab the crystal and then…

"GRRRR…" a voice growled.

"WAH!" Erika yelped in surprise, stumbling back a few steps. She then glanced up and gasped. Looming over the ledge above the pedestal was a Gumshoos. But something was different about him. He was gigantic. He leapt down towards the girl. She quickly reacted and ran away, only to be blown back by the force of his landing with Rockruff.

" _Are you okay?!_ " Rotom asked in concern as Erika slowly sat up while grunting.

"Yeah…" she replied, letting out an exhale. She then looked up and widened her eyes. The Stakeout Pokémon was looming over her as an orange-colored aura suddenly flared to life around his form.

"Thhhh!" he roared in challenge. Erika gulped.

 **X**

"Pua…" Popplio whimpered in fright as she stepped back.

"Wh-What is that…?!" Erika stuttered out, sweating madly. She thought that if even she was scared by the Gumshoos, the Team Skull members would be wetting their pants. The memory of her encounter with Tapu Koko entered her mind.

" _Gumshoos, the Stakeout Pokémon, and the evolved form of Yungoos,_ " Rotom explained, catching her attention, " _Patient by nature, this Pokémon loses control of himself and pounces when he spots his favorite meal—Rattata!_ " it explained, yelping upon reading the last word.

"GROSS!" Erika shrieked in shock. Her face was turning blue.

' _And he's the EVOLVED form of Yungoos?!_ ' she exclaimed inwardly, ' _Great…_ ' she muttered to herself.

" _But…_ " Rotom continued, causing her to perk up and look over at him, " _this Gumshoos is much larger than a normal one…_ " it noted curiously, " _About three times the normal size, I think, zzt…_ " it added, showing off an image of a comparison on its screen.

"Th-Three?!" Erika stammered.

"GGUUUUUUUHHHHMMM!" Gumshoos roared, slamming his front paws into the ground. He swung them forward, causing a flurry of dust to build up and head right towards Erika.

"Arf!" Popplio yelped, quickly firing off a stream of water from her nostrils to blow away the dirt cloud before it could reach her trainer.

"Thanks, Popplio!" Erika cried out in gratitude, "Ergh…" she growled in frustration, turning towards the giant Gumshoos.

' _What do we even do here?_ ' she asked herself, ' _Heck, we shouldn't even be here!_ ' she realized, gritting her teeth, ' _This is supposed to be Calvin's trial, not-!_ '

"GUUUUMMMM!" Gumshoos roared, contorting his face into a frightening expression.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Erika shrieked in shock.

" _That's Gumshoos Scary Face, zzt!_ " Rotom buzzed. Just then, Rockruff leapt out and slammed into the Stakeout Pokémon's torso, knocking him away.

"Guh!" he grunted out, maintaining his balance as his opponent landed down safely.

"Rah, ruf ruff!" he barked angrily in challenge.

"Rockruff, wait a second!" Erika cried out, catching his attention, "We were just supposed to stop those Team Skull guys, not come back here!" she noted seriously to him. However, her words may have distracted Rockruff as Gumshoos had his teeth glow a bright white, about to chomp down on his target.

"Ar!" Popplio yelped, firing off another blast of water to knock the Stakeout Pokémon back before he could hurt the Rock type.

" _That could've been really bad, zzt!_ " Rotom noted worriedly, " _If Gumshoos is going to fight us no matter what, we should fight back, right, zzt?_ " it buzzed in question towards Erika. She glanced down in thought. She remembered her encounter with Tapu Koko again. It was her fault that both Popplio and Rockruff were defeated back then. Because she was stupid, impatient, and selfish. But she also realized that the Gumshoos wasn't going to let them get away freely. They'd have to fight.

"Popplio, Rockruff," she began to her teammates, catching their attentions as clenched her fists, "let's do this!" she exclaimed.

"Rah!" the Puppy Pokémon yipped in agreement.

"Pua!" the Sea Lion Pokémon beside him concurred.

" _Gumshoos is a Normal type, so a Rock type like Rockruff is the best match for him, zzt!_ " Rotom pointed out cleverly.

"Okay then!" Erika responded with a nod, "Rockruff, Howl!" she called out.

"RAAAAAHHHOOOOO!" the Puppy Pokémon howled, making a reddish aura flow up his body.

"Guh… shoo!" Gumshoos bellowed as he dug his paws into the ground beneath him to make another cloud of dirt build up.

"Dodge it!" Erika yelled quickly, enticing her two Pokémon to jump up to evade the dust, "Popplio, Aqua Jet!" she commanded as she swung her arm out.

"Ar!" the Sea Lion Pokémon barked, immersing herself in a torrent of water before zooming down towards Gumshoos. However, something was wrong. She was moving much slower than usual.

"Huh?" Erika uttered in surprise, widening her eyes slightly. Taking the chance he now had, Gumshoos made his teeth glow a bright white before chomping down right as Popplio came down onto him, creating a burst of smoke upon impact.

"AAARRRRR!" she shrieked, flying out from the smoke and tumbling upon the ground she hit.

"Popplio!" Erika cried out worriedly, "Rotodex, what the heck just happened?!" she asked in a panicked tone.

" _Hmm…_ " the Pokédex hummed in thought, " _Oh!_ " it yelped in realization, " _Gumshoos' Scary Face has the added effect of lowering an opponent's speed, zzt!_ " it explained to her.

"So when he did that earlier…" she realized, remembering the frightening expression she had seen from the giant Stakeout Pokémon, "Ergh…" she growled in frustration, "Rockruff, Rock Throw!" she ordered.

"Rah!" the Puppy Pokémon yipped, making the stones around his neck glow before forming a multicolored orb of energy upon his tail. Gumshoos smirked. A red aura outlined his form, causing Erika to blink in surprise. "Ruf!" Rockruff barked, unleashing several stones from the orb he had made towards his target, striking him fiercely. Although the attack managed to make Gumshoos stumble back, he stood his ground as the aura around him was evidently building.

"That light…" Erika uttered, recognizing it as she gasped, "Popplio, Disarming Voice! Rockruff, Rock Throw!" she ordered quickly.

" _Eh?_ " Rotom uttered out in confusion. Getting back up, Popplio leapt up and shrieked, unleashing a stream of pink-purple hearts onto Gumshoos. At the same time, Rockruff fired off more stones towards the giant Stakeout Pokémon, enveloping him within a cloud of smoke upon impact.

"I sure hope that did it…" Erika grumbled as sweat trickled down her head.

" _But why though?_ " Rotom asked, still wondering what was causing her so much stress.

"Guuuuhhhhh…." Gumshoos growled, causing Erika to widen her eyes in disbelief along with Popplio and Rockruff.

"No!" she exclaimed pleadingly. The smoke cleared, revealing the large red aura shrouding the giant Stakeout Pokémon.

"Guh…!" he began, reeling his head back. Realizing what was about to happen, Popplio quickly jumped over and shoved Rockruff aside, much to his surprise. "SHHHHHOOOOOOOO!" Gumshoos bellowed, unleashing a beam of white light from in front of his mouth, striking the Sea Lion Pokémon in a massive explosion.

"POPPLIO!" Erika screamed in horror, bracing herself from the dust that blew by.

" _Wh-Wh-Whoa, zzt!_ " Rotom stuttered as he flew about aimlessly from the force of the wind, " _That was Gumshoos' Bide, wasn't it?!_ " it inquired loudly as it regained its balance, floating back over to its user. As the wind died down and the dust settled, Rockruff stood back up and gasped to see his teammate lying on the ground with swirls in her eyes.

"Ar…" she moaned in agony.

"Popplio!" Erika shrieked, developing a frightened expression.

' _Dammit!_ ' she inwardly cursed, grabbing at her head, ' _I should've known that all our attacks wouldn't be enough to beat him, so why did I command for them?!_ ' she asked herself frantically. Her knees started to buckle. ' _We should've just run… We're not ready for something like this!_ ' she noted through her thoughts. Tears were threatening to come out of her eyes. ' _We're not-!_ '

"RAHK, RUFF!" Rockruff's voice barked, causing her to perk up instantly and look over at him. He stood firm. Even though his teammate was defeated, he continued to glare down his foe.

"Rockruff…" Erika uttered. She remembered Rotom's Pokédex entry and how it described the Puppy Pokémon. She remembered how he would support her when she would be down. She balled her fists and regained her serious expression. There was no way she would back down now.

"Guh, shhhoooo!" Gumshoos bellowed as he slammed his front left paw into the ground, using its claws to pick up dirt and fling it out at his target.

"Dodge and use Howl!" Erika cried out quickly.

"Raff!" the Puppy Pokémon yipped in response, hopping off to the side to evade the building dust, "RRRAAAAAAAAHHHOOOOO!" he howled, making a reddish aura flow up his body again. In that moment however, Gumshoos leapt out with his jaws glowing a bright white, chomping down on his opponent fiercely in an explosion of white smoke.

" _This is bad, zzt!_ " Rotom buzzed in a panicked tone, " _Since Gumshoos' ability is Strong Jaw, that means his Bite is much more powerful, zzt!_ " he explained. Erika clenched her teeth.

"Hang in there, Rockruff!" she cheered.

"Rah!" he yipped reassuringly in response, jumping out from the cloud. Despite his heavy breathing and the scrapes along his body, he was still willing to fight. Gumshoos was the same, glaring at the Puppy Pokémon angrily.

"Rockruff, Howl!" Erika commanded.

" _Again, zzt?!_ " Rotom buzzed in surprise with an astonished expression upon his face. Why was she calling for the same move over and over?

"RRAAAAAAAHHHOOOO!" Rockruff howled once more, this time louder than before. The red aura flowed up his body, making Gumshoos growl in frustration. For his opponent to merely be shouting up to the sky over and over was nothing but insulting to him.

"GGGGGUUUUUUUHHHHH!" he roared, readying his jaws to bite down on the Puppy Pokémon one last time.

"Now, Rock Throw!" Erika commanded. Making the stones around his neck glow a bright white, Rockruff formed another orb of multicolored energy upon his tail, subsequently firing off several stones that struck the large Stakeout Pokémon head on, knocking him back.

"Guhhhh…" he growled, gritting his teeth. A reddish aura overtook his form.

" _There's the Bide, zzt!_ " Rotom yelped.

"One more time, Rockruff!" Erika called out.

"RAH!" the Puppy Pokémon barked loudly, shooting more stones that all struck his adversary in the torso. Would he give in first? Or would he hold out long enough to unleash another Bide? Erika inwardly prayed that the former would happen. And then the red aura dissipated instantaneously.

"Huh?" she uttered in confusion, blinking.

"…Guhhh…" Gumshoos groaned before falling face first onto the ground with swirls in his eyes. It took Erika a moment to realize what had just happened. Rockruff had emerged victorious.

"W…We won…" she stuttered out, slowly starting to smile, "WE WON!" she exclaimed excitedly.

" _That was close, zzt…_ " Rotom noted as it drooped its arms down in relief, " _So that's why you had Rockruff use Howl so much, zzt!_ " it realized, catching Erika's attention, " _By raising his attack power, he was able to land that decisive blow without allowing Gumshoos to unleash his Bide!_ " he explained, receiving a nod from the girl.

"Ar…" Popplio groaned from afar, causing the two to perk up.

"Popplio!" Erika yelped in realization, hurrying over to the Sea Lion Pokémon with Rotom and Rockruff in tow. She knelt down to pick the Water type up, as she slowly opened her eyes and smiled.

"Pua…" she uttered, poking her nose against her trainer's cheek. She smiled softly.

"I'm sorry I let you get hurt, Popplio," she apologized, "You too, Rockruff," she added over to the Puppy Pokémon.

"Rah!" he barked happily in reply.

"Guh…" a familiar voice groaned. Uh oh. Everyone widened their eyes.

" _Wh-Wh-What?!_ " Rotom buzzed, stuttering in panic. They turned to see Gumshoos standing back up, breathing heavily. Rockruff took a ready stance and growled. However, the giant Stakeout Pokémon didn't pay any heed to him. He actually turned around and grabbed the crystal off of the pedestal.

"Guh, shoo," he stated, walking over to Erika, who stood back up. She flinched slightly for a second, but then settled herself down as Gumshoos held out his hand, offering her the crystal.

"Is… that for me?" she inquired.

"Gum," the Stakeout Pokémon responded with a nod, dropping the crystal into her hand. She and Popplio stared at it in wonder. Was this their reward for victory? What was it?

"Congratulations!" a familiar voice called out as a pair of hands clapped. Erika turned around and widened her eyes. Coming into the large den was Ilima, along with Calvin and Hau.

"G-Guys?!" she stuttered in surprise.

"Whoa!" Hau exclaimed, "You took down that big ol' Gumshoos, Eri?!" he inquired out of disbelief. Calvin seemed to be just as stunned.

"Well… uh…" Erika stuttered, unsure of how to explain things. Fortunately, Ilima seemed to be ready to do that for her.

"Once you took care of the Team Skull members, you came back here out of curiosity, right?" he guessed towards the girl. She merely nodded, though it was Rockruff who had made her enter the den in the first place. "Hm…" the trial captain hummed in thought, "I guess Gumshoos here recognized your potential after you defeated those goons," he realized.

"G-Gumshoos?" Erika stammered, blinking out of confusion, "Hold on, what does he have to do with this?" she asked. She was evidently perplexed, as were the two boys.

"Gumshoos here is who we'd call the ultimate test of a trial," Ilima answered, giving the large Stakeout Pokémon an Oran Berry to eat, "Specifically, he's a Totem Pokémon," he added.

"T-Totem Pokémon?" Erika stuttered. She was very confused at this point.

"The original objective of the trial is simple," Ilima said, holding up his right index finger, "You are to first defeat the three Pokémon that lie in their dens and then you're allowed to come back here and face the Totem," he explained, "And since you were victorious, you've not only cleared the trial, but you also receive that Z-Crystal in your hand as a reward," he mentioned.

"…HUHHHHHH?!" Erika exclaimed in shock, "Wait, wasn't this supposed to be Calvin's trial?!" she asked frantically, "I wasn't supposed to pass it for him! I just supposed to get rid of those Team Skull goons like you said!" she noted rather quickly. Her brother put his hand onto her shoulder, catching her attention.

"Congrats, Erika," he said in a complimentary tone, "You earned that," he added to her surprise.

"C-Cal…" she stammered, stunned by his modesty.

"And now that you've completed the only trial on Melemele Island, you can challenge the island's kahuna," Ilima mentioned, causing the three trial-goers.

"Whoa, seriously?!" Hau yelped, smiling excitedly, "You'll get to face Tutu before either of us!" he pointed out as he balled his fists. Erika just blinked in surprise. She was still reeling over the fact that her escapade initially meant to stop Team Skull actually turned out to be her first trial. But nonetheless, she smiled and stared at her new crystal, wondering what secrets it held as she was ready to continue.

 **END**

 **Boy, I really took my time with this one. Sorry, folks…**

 **But anyways, I'm happy to say that now Erika is on her way to the grand trial next! So I hope you all enjoyed the chapter as much as I did writing it! Here's a summary of what'll happen next!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **On her way to Iki Town through the northwest part of Melemele Island for her grand trial, Erika meets up with Professor Kukui on a mission to find Lillie, who's gone missing again! Wanting to make amends with the girl, Erika vows to help! Will she find her?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**


	10. Cheers! Pom-Pom Style!

**Alola! I'm finally back with this story and wouldn't you believe it?! Pokémon Sword & Shield are coming out later this year! As excited as I am though for the games, I'm more excited to get out of college finally and get myself a job I can enjoy. **

**A lot's happening in these next couple of weeks, so don't expect frequent updates from me. It'll probably be just this before the end of May.**

 **Anyways, we last left off this story with Erika clearing the Verdant Cavern trial! Now her next task is to challenge Hala, the island kahuna!**

 **So without further ado, let's get back into it!**

 **POKÉMON SUN & MOON**

 **THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME**

Night fell quickly on the Pokémon Center at Verdant Cavern as Hau and Calvin were fast asleep in their beds. After Erika's trial, they decided to get some early rest before heading out tomorrow. Calvin had decided he'd head back to the vacation house after talking on the phone with his mother. As glad as she was that he was safe, she wanted to see her son in person, safe and sound.

As for Erika, she curiously stood out on the balcony, looking out at the ocean. She was dressed in a striped blue and white tank top and pink pajama shorts as her raven black hair swayed with the ocean wind. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the Z-Crystal she had earned for clearing the trial. Questions were ringing through her head as she stared at it. What could it do for her? Why was it the prize? And… did she really deserve it?

' _Cal was the one who needed to take that trial, not me…_ ' she noted inwardly, clutching the Normalium Z in her hand, ' _Maybe I should just give him the Z-Crystal before we go tomorrow…_ ' she suggested to herself.

"Having trouble sleeping?" a familiar voice guessed, catching her attention as she saw Ilima trot over to her.

"Oh, Ilima," she said, somewhat surprised, "No… I'm just thinking…" she half-confessed, looking rather nervous.

"You deserve that Z Crystal, you know," Ilima told her, causing her eyes to jolt open in surprise, looking over at him, "To be honest, I thought you were a problem child at first," he admitted. A tick mark of annoyance appeared on Erika's head for a moment. But she sighed. He was right. She acted like a huge jerk back at the Trainer's School. "And now here you are with a newfound purpose," he noted with a smile, "I'm sure your family would be very proud of you," he added to her surprise. She looked down for a moment.

"This wasn't supposed to be my trial…" she said as she put her hands on the railing, "but I'm really glad that we passed in the end!" she confessed, now smiling brightly. Now Ilima was surprised.

' _So she understands that it wasn't her victory alone…_ ' he realized, turning around and heading off.

"Make sure to get plenty of sleep," he advised to her, "If you're going to challenge Hala tomorrow, you'll need to be at full strength," he recommended.

"Right!" she replied earnestly with a nod. As he went back into the Pokémon Center, Erika took a look at the bright moon that shined overhead, holding up her Z Crystal to see it gleam from the moonlight. She smiled.

' _Yeah…_ ' she uttered inwardly as she brought the crystal down, clutching it in her hand, ' _This was our win,_ ' she stated to herself firmly before heading inside.

 **Cheers! Pom-Pom Style!**

"Ar!" Popplio barked angrily.

"Mraw!" Litten hissed.

"Girls, come on…" Calvin reprimanded out of annoyance. He, Erika, and Hau were outside the Pokémon Center, all dressed and ready to head back to Iki Town. Well, almost. Litten and Popplio were quarreling over who stole their food, not realizing that the culprit was Yungoos as he was biting at Calvin's head, still hungry.

"Popplio, that's enough," Erika said as she picked up the Sea Lion Pokémon in her arms, "You don't see Rockruff acting like this, do you?" she questioned rhetorically.

"Pua…" Popplio muttered as she blushed.

"Ha, ha!" Hau laughed heartily, "Eri, you sound like my mom!" he pointed out. Erika blinked in surprise. And then she kicked her cousin's shin. "OW!" he yelped, hopping up and down as he grabbed at his foot. Calvin laughed nervously, while his sister turned away in a huff. The automatic doors to the Pokémon Center then opened.

"We appreciate the hospitality!" Ilima called out to the workers inside as he exited the building, going up to the group, "So are you all ready to head out?" he asked the group as Hau stopped hopping around in pain.

"Pretty much," Calvin replied as Litten jumped onto his right shoulder, "I wanna take the trial again now that Team Skull's not around," he admitted with a sheepish grin, "but I promised my mom I'd be back home today…" he noted. Erika took on a worried look. She knew her brother was still upset about losing to those thugs.

"Can I take my trial today?" Hau asked as he pointed at himself.

"Of course," Ilima responded, "Once I've finished escorting these two back home, I'll be happy oversee your trial," he declared.

"All right!" Hau exclaimed with a pump of his fist. Calvin seemed happy for his cousin, but also felt completely pathetic. Erika saw the look of shame in his eyes.

"Hey, Cal-"

"HEEEYYYYY!" a familiar voice called out loudly, catching everyone's attention before Erika could talk to her brother. Running down from the hillside was none other than Kukui, who screeched to a halt in front of them.

"Oh, Professor!" Ilima greeted with a wave, "Fancy meeting you here of all places!" he noted cheekily as Kukui put his hands onto his knees, panting out of exhaustion, "We were just about to head back to Iki Town," the trial captain explained.

"Huh?" the professor uttered in surprise. Ilima then told him about what had happened recently. Team Skull interrupting Calvin's trial, Erika's arrival, and how she defeated the thugs and the Totem Pokémon in her trial attempt. "So you passed, Erika?!" Kukui exclaimed in surprise. The girl of the group sheepishly blushed, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her Normalium Z to show him.

"It was really hard… but we pulled through in the end," she said, letting off a grin towards Popplio.

"Pua!" she barked happily. Kukui smiled. He was glad that his efforts to help her become a better trainer hadn't gone to waste.

"By the way…" Ilima began, chiming into the conversation, "why were you running all the down here, Professor?" he asked curiously. Kukui blinked before widening his eyes.

"Ah, right!" he gasped, "I ended up losing track of Lillie after I took her down Route Three…" he admitted, causing the others to all gasp.

"Wait, she's still got Cosmog with her!" Hau yelped in realization.

"We should go help you look!" Calvin declared as he clenched his right fist.

"No," Ilima chimed in, putting his hand out in front of the two boys, "I think your mother made it clear that she wanted to see you home safe and sound," he told Calvin, causing him to glance down with a frustrated expression on his face, "And Hau," he continued, catching the ponytailed boy's attention, "you can't head out that way until you've cleared the trial," he pointed out.

"Aw, man!" Hau complained, stomping the ground with his foot. Erika understood the frustration coming from both of them. They couldn't do anything in this situation… But maybe… she could.

"Can I go?" she suddenly asked, catching everyone's attention.

"Well… you may since you cleared my trial…" Ilima started to answer, "but-"

"I'll go with her," Kukui interjected, "Besides, now that she's cleared her first trial, she needs to know what's in store," he pointed out seriously. Now Ilima blinked in surprise.

"All right then," he concurred, "Hau, you can wait for me here before your trial," he told the ponytailed boy, who gave off a huge smile of anticipation, "I should be back in a couple of hours once I've escorted Calvin home," he noted.

"And we'll go down Route Three!" Kukui declared. Erika nodded.

" _Wait for me, zzt!_ " a familiar voice buzzed, catching everyone's attention as they saw Rotom speed out towards them from the Pokémon Center, " _You weren't gonna just leave me behind, were you, zzt?!_ " it questioned somewhat angrily to Erika. She raised her arms in a placating manner.

"Sorry, sorry!" she apologized repeatedly with a sheepish grin, "I already thought you snuck away into my bag since you need to recharge…" she pointed out.

" _Why didn't you check then, zzt?!_ " Rotom asked back. Erika just laughed cheekily with an embarrassed blush, realizing that she had made a mistake. After a few more moments, Calvin headed off with Ilima towards Hau'oli City, while his sister went up towards the hillside with Kukui.

"See you guys later!" Hau cried out to both parties as they headed off. While heading towards the coastline, Erika noticed an open barricade that was similar in style to the gateway into Verdant Cavern. She also noticed a burly, bearded man wearing a green cap and shirt with the amulet logo, waving to her as she passed by.

"That was the captain's barricade we just passed," Kukui told her, catching her attention, "Since you passed the trial, that means you can venture anywhere around the island past this point," he explained.

" _It also means that you'll get to meet more Pokémon, zzt!_ " Rotom buzzed excitedly.

"Ar!" Popplio squeaked.

"Well I do wanna catch maybe one more Pokémon here…" Erika admitted, remembering that her brother had three of his own.

"Wait," Kukui said, enticing her to stop as she saw him throw his left arm out in front of her. She blinked in surprise as she saw the Z-Ring fixed upon his wrist.

"Ruff!" a voice squawked from above, enticing her to look up and see a Rufflet flying overhead, appearing to loom over them.

"Great timing!" Kukui exclaimed as he reached into the pocket of his lab coat, pulling out a shrunken Poké Ball and enlarging it by pressing its center button, "I wanted to show you what's in store when you face Hala," he said, causing Erika to arch an eyebrow in confusion. The Rufflet then dove down towards the pair of people below. "Go, Rockruff!" Kukui called out, tossing the Poké Ball up into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth from it formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Puppy Pokémon.

"Rah!" he yipped excitedly.

"Pr-Professor…?" Erika stuttered, wondering what he wanted to show her. He crossed his arms in an x formation in front of himself, with his left arm over his right.

"Let's go!" he exclaimed. The crystal on his Z-Ring began to glow brightly, followed by him striking a series of poses: sticking his arms out forward as they were crossed, sticking his right arm down and left arm up in diagonal positions, and then bringing them back to form a z. Rockruff seemed to either be mimicking or synchronizing with the poses. All of a sudden, an orange aura shrouded Kukui, followed by shooting out to the Puppy Pokémon. He became surrounded in the aura, with a yellow light flashing in front of him that looked like an arrow pointed upwards above a z shape intersecting with a diamond shape similar to that of the Z-Crystal.

"Flet, flet!" Rufflet squawked as he dove down with his wings glowing a bright white.

"Let's show him our Z-Power, Rockruff!" Kukui declared, throwing out his right fist, "Breakneck Blitz!" he commanded.

"Raf!" Rockruff barked as he suddenly lunged forward at full speed, leaving behind a trail of dust in his wake.

"Whoa!" Erika yelped in surprise. Rockruff collided with Rufflet head on, creating an explosion of smoke upon impact that blew dust and dirt everywhere in a flurry.

"RAAAAHHH!" Rufflet screeched as he flew out from the dust cloud, slamming into the mountainside hard, "Flett…" he chirped weakly. Kukui took out another Poké Ball.

"Go!" he cried out, throwing it towards the Eaglet Pokémon. It bounced off of his head before popping open. Rufflet then turned into a red luminosity, going into the Poké Ball completely in a ray of light before it closed shut, hitting the ground. It then shook for a moment as the button blinked a bright red. After a few more seconds of anticipation, the Poké Ball gave off a resounding ding.

" _You caught Rufflet, zzt!_ " Rotom exclaimed as it floated over to the Poké Ball, appearing to scan it, " _Rufflet, the Eaglet Pokémon,_ " it began to state, " _With his sharp claws, this Pokémon pierces its prey, and then he pecks at them. Although he also consumes berries, he's a carnivore at heart. Known as a natural-born warrior, soon after his hatching, he will challenge his parent to a fight in order to gain their acceptance,_ " it explained. Erika barely caught any of that. Her eyes were still shaking in amazement from the move that Rockruff performed. It looked like a powered-up Tackle by all means.

"Professor…" she began, catching his attention as he picked up the Poké Ball holding his newly caught Pokémon from the ground, "what was that?" she asked. Popplio seemed curious to know as well. Kukui grinned.

"That there was a Z-Move," he answered, showing off his Z-Ring to her. She blinked in surprise to see a Normalium Z fitted onto it. "You see, when you and your Pokémon are in perfect sync like me and Rockruff were…" he started to explain as the Puppy Pokémon trotted up to his side, "you can pull off a Z-Move that's basically a boosted move of your Pokémon," he told her. Erika's eyes shook in surprise. But then she realized something. She might've had the Z-Crystal, but not the Z-Ring like Kukui did. She looked at her barren wrist with a frustrated expression.

"Pua…" Popplio barked worriedly. Her trainer exhaled an accepting sigh.

"I'll get my Z-Ring once we beat Hala," she affirmed confidently to the Sea Lion Pokémon's surprise, "After that, we can try that Z-Move!" she declared. Popplio's eyes sparkled.

"Ar, arf!" she yipped, clapping her flippers.

"All right then!" Kukui exclaimed, "But first, we've gotta find Lillie," he pointed out seriously. Erika nodded in agreement as they then went off on their way. As they trekked around the hillside, a curious thought brought its way into Erika's head.

' _If the Professor has a Z-Ring, that means he took the Island Challenge before, right?_ ' she wondered, glancing back at the Z-Ring on his wrist.

"Something wrong?" he asked, noticing her staring. She blinked.

"Oh, uh, nothing," she stuttered, deciding to drop the issue for now as they trekked around the coastline.

 **X**

"And here we are," Ilima said as he and Calvin stood outside the Ketchums vacation home, "Will you be fine going in on your own?" he asked of the boy who was remarkably silent in their trek home.

"Yeah," he answered with a nod. Yungoos kept chewing at his head, obviously still hungry.

"Well, I wish you the best, Calvin," Ilima told him as he started to walk off back towards Hau'oli, "I hope to see you again for your next attempt at my trial!" he called out with a wave. Calvin cracked a slight grin. But it faded quickly. He was disheartened still. Now he felt like he was at rock bottom.

"Mraah?" Litten purred worriedly. Calvin didn't respond. He just went up the steps onto the front porch, putting his hand onto the doorknob. He twisted it and pulled the door open.

"I'm home-" Before he could finish his announcement, he was ambushed by a warm embrace from his mother.

"Calvin!" she gasped happily with tears her eyes, pulling herself away as she was squatted down to his eye level, "Are you all right?! Did those Team Skull people hurt you and your sister?!" she asked frantically. Calvin blinked in shock. He immediately felt guilty for worrying his mother.

"I'm… okay, mom," he reassured slowly, making her perk up in surprise.

"Welcome back, Cal," another voice chimed in, catching their attentions as they looked to see Leslie there with a smile on her face.

"So dad's away right now?" Calvin inquired a couple of minutes later as Yungoos was eating away at a huge bowl of Pokémon food, with Pikipek and Litten awkwardly eating their own food far from him.

"Yep," Mirajane answered, throwing away a now empty bag of Pokémon food into the trash can, "Official Omni Force business," she mentioned.

"It's actually something really important, apparently," Leslie added as she was sitting down by the couch next to her brother, "Didn't dad say it had to do with some stones or something?" she asked of her mother. Normally, Calvin would've been intrigued by the conversation. But today, he didn't care. He was too lost in the thought of having lost to Team Skull. Embarrassingly, he might add.

"I'm gonna go take a nap," he said, getting up from the couch and going over to the door.

"Cal?" his older sister uttered in confusion, only to get no response as he opened the door and went inside, closing it behind him. Mirajane and her daughter shared a worried look with each other before they looked back at the door.

"Mrraaww…" Litten purred worriedly.

"Peek…" Pikipek agreed with a nod. They gave off exasperated sighs as they saw that Yungoos hadn't been paying attention, too busy with his food.

"Huh…" Calvin sighed as he sat down on his bed, taking off his cap and shoes. He looked over at his twin sister's bed, now barren and well made. There were so many things he had to think about. How did his sister become so strong? How did he get so weak?

A few teardrops fell onto the floor from his eyes. He was very disheartened. And the sobs he tried to choke back were heard by both his Pokémon and his family, who all listened on worriedly.

"Lillie!" Erika called out, "LILLIE!" she shouted louder as she made her way around the coastline. No reply came.

" _This is strange, zzt…_ " Rotom buzzed while floating beside its user, " _The Profezzor's taken the path down across the bridge and hasn't come back yet..._ " it noted, sounding concerned. Erika was worried, too. It had been almost two hours and neither of them had found Lillie. By all means, Lillie could be in Iki Town. Popplio sniffed the air.

"Arf!" she yipped suddenly, hopping out of Erika's arms.

"Hey, Popplio!" she yelped, seeing the Sea Lion Pokémon hurry off down a pathway between the mountainside, "Rotodex, what's down there?" she asked, pointing at the path.

" _I believe that's where the Melemele Meadow is, zzt…_ " Rotom replied, " _We haven't checked there yet,_ " it added.

"Then let's go!" Erika declared, jogging after Popplio with Rotom floating beside her. When they arrived together, they all gasped in amazement at the sight before them. It was a huge field of yellow flowers, much like a lake. The wind breezed by, blowing some petals into the air above. Erika's eyes sparkled at the sight. It was beautiful. And then she blinked, remembering what her sister told her about all the things she'd see if she went on her journey. Erika smiled. She was happy to be on this journey.

"Nebby!" a familiar voice cried out, catching her attention as she blinked in surprise, "Nebby, come back!" the voice screamed again. Erika looked to her left and found Lillie there, standing upon the ground just before the field of flowers. "Oh, what do I do?" she asked herself, clutching the strap of her duffel bag.

"Lillie!" Erika called out, causing her to perk up in surprise to see her jog up to her with Popplio and Rotom.

"Oh, it's you…" Lillie recognized as she blinked.

" _Mission complete, zzt!_ " Rotom exclaimed excitedly, " _Now we can get Lillie back the Profezzor-!_ "

"Wait a minute, Rotodex," Erika interjected, making it stop talking, "Lillie, where's that Pokémon you always carry around?" she asked, noticing that the Cosmog was not present in her bag.

"Oh, it's over there!" Lillie exclaimed, pointing towards the Nebula Pokémon. It was atop one of the hills within the meadow, just floating there with an innocent smile on its face.

"Why didn't you go after it?" Erika questioned curiously, arching an eyebrow. Lillie grimaced as she clutched her bag again.

"The meadow's filled with wild Pokémon…" she answered shyly, glancing away, "And… I don't have any to battle with…" she admitted ashamedly. Erika seemed a little annoyed by her explanation, but she didn't want to leave her in such an unfavorable situation.

"Don't worry, we'll get Nebby back," she reassured to Lillie's surprise, "After all…" she continued, looking back at the professor's assistant, "I kinda wanna make up for everything awful I did before…" she confessed sheepishly. Lillie seemed genuinely shocked. Was this really the same girl she had met back on Mahalo Trail?

" _Be careful, zzt!_ " Rotom suddenly advised, " _The meadow's home to lots of Grass type Pokémon!_ " it pointed out.

"Yeah, got it," Erika replied with a nod, "Let's go, Popplio!" she called out.

"Ar!" Popplio barked, following after her trainer into the field of flowers. As they waded through the meadow, neither of them seemed to notice the silhouettes lurking near them. Lillie did as she widened her eyes.

"Erika, watch out!" she screamed, making her stop. Just then, several figures leapt out from the flowers to hers and Popplio's surprise. It was a cluster of Petilil and Cottonee that dove toward them. A few of the Petilil spun around, unleashing multiple light green glowing leaves toward the pair.

"Popplio, Aqua Jet!" Erika quickly cried out. Immersing herself within a torrent of water, the Sea Lion Pokémon rocketed away from the incoming leaves before she could be struck by any. However, some of the Cottonee began firing off seeds onto the ground, which all grew immediately into vines that attempted to grab Popplio as she sped by.

" _Leech Seed, zzt!_ " Rotom buzzed worriedly. Erika grimaced. Now some of the Cottonee were firing off sparkling orange powder towards Popplio.

' _This is really bad…_ ' she muttered inwardly, ' _Both Popplio and Rockruff can't fight Grass types that well, and it'll be even worse if they get paralyzed by Stun Spore…_ ' she noted to herself, debating whether or not to call upon the Puppy Pokémon's assistance in the battle as she reached down to her belt. She looked over at Nebby. It wasn't in any danger currently, but she noticed the flowers beside starting to rustle.

"Popplio, can you hold them off here?" she asked of her partner.

"Puap!" she barked reassuringly in response with a nod as she fired off a stream of water from her nostrils to blow away any oncoming powder.

"Thanks!" Erika replied, jumping off towards the hills. Lillie gasped in surprise from seeing how high and far Erika had actually jumped. She hurried up the steep facing by climbing it, reaching the top as she breathed heavily, sweating madly all the while.

"Pew?" Nebby squeaked upon noticing her. She picked it up in her arms.

"Gotcha'!" she declared, raising it up into the air.

"Pua, pop!" Popplio barked out to her before narrowly evading green beams of light that were trying to latch onto her from the Grass types facing her. Erika turned and grimaced as she saw several Petilil and Cottonee coming out from the flowers, all growling angrily.

"Crap…" she muttered out, holding Nebby protectively in her arms. One of the Petilil's leaves glowed a bright green, shooting out tendrils of light that were attempting to latch onto the two.

"Erika! Nebby!" Lillie screamed.

"Arrr!" Popplio exclaimed, about to hop over to them, only to end up struck by the sparkling orange powder coming from some of the Cottonee. Erika braced herself, turning her back to her attackers in an attempt to protect the Cosmog.

"LEEEEEELLLL!" one of the Petilil suddenly screeched. Erika turned for just a moment to see that a Bulb Pokémon had slammed face first into the mountainside, falling down onto the ground with swirls in her eyes. She looked out and gasped. Amongst the Petilil and Cottonee was a bird-like Pokémon that seemed to be primarily yellow. Most of her body was pale yellow with a line of longer feathers around her waist like a skirt. Her lower body and short stubby tail were covered with short, white feathers. Fluffy balls of darker yellow feathers covered the end of her wings like pom-poms, and similar, smaller puffs covered her ankles. In the center of her chest was a yellow, v-shaped marking, and there were fan-shaped markings on the sides of her eyes. The markings around her eyes were echoed by three large, pale yellow feathers on each side of her head, which were tipped with bright yellow.

"Kori!" she chirped reassuringly to Erika, making her blink in surprise.

" _That's an Oricorio, zzt!_ " Rotom exclaimed, " _Oricorio, the Dancing Pokémon, Pom-Pom Style,_ " it stated, showing off a picture of creature on its screen, " _She creates an electric charge by rubbing her feathers together. She dances over to her enemies and delivers shocking electrical punches. This Oricorio has drunk bright yellow nectar. When she sees someone looking glum, she will try to cheer them up with a dance,_ " the Pokédex explained thoroughly. The Petilil and Cottonee seemed rightfully upset that the Oricorio was interrupting their ambush, but she didn't seem to care. She made the pom-pom-like feathers on the ends of her wings glow a bright white before spinning around and smacking the Grass types away. Those below in the meadow took notice of the Oricorio as electricity was sparking around Popplio.

"Neeeee!" some of the Cottonee bleated, unleashing glowing leaves from their bodies that zoomed towards Oricorio. She jumped away, gliding with the wind as a light yellow, bird-shaped aura shrouded the front of her body. She rammed into the group head on, knocking them all away.

" _Double Slap and Peck…_ " Rotom noted as it blinked, " _This Oricorio's really strong, zzt!_ " it mentioned with a smile. However, the Dancing Pokémon didn't seem to realize that one Petilil was lurking in the flowers, narrowing her eyes onto her target. She leapt out, about to fire off the green glowing leaves onto Oricorio from behind until she was suddenly tackled away by Rockruff. The Dancing Pokémon turned around and blinked in surprise to see what had happened.

"Rah, ruff!" Rockruff yipped reassuringly.

"Thanks for the help there!" Erika called out in gratitude as she and the Puppy Pokémon hurried off down the hill back towards the field of flowers, "We'll take care of the rest!" she promised. However, Oricorio noticed how the Petilil and Cottonee below were surrounding the others, prepared to attack.

"P-Please…" Lillie stuttered as she nervously stepped back. The Petilil and Cottonee growled. They obviously didn't like their territory being squandered by anyone else.

"Rockruff, Rock Throw!" Erika commanded. Making the rocks around his neck glow a bright white, Rockruff had an orb of energy envelop his tail before he fired off several glowing rocks from it, striking the group of Grass types in a flurry of smoke and dust.

"Ah!" Lillie yelped, bracing herself from the impact as she held onto her hat.

"You all right, Lillie?" Erika asked as she hopped over to her side, handing the Cosmog off to her.

"Oh, Nebby!" she exclaimed in relief, holding onto it closely.

"Pew?" Nebby uttered in confusion.

"Rrrr…" Rockruff growled as the dust started to settle, revealing that the group of Grass types still standing and prepared to fight. Just then though, Oricorio dove in with the bird-shaped aura shrouding her head, striking aside the Petilil and Cottonee. Everyone gasped in surprise to see what was happening.

"NEEEEEE!" one of Cottonee bleated in panic, scurrying off. The other Grass types followed suit, not wanting to get themselves hurt any more.

"Kori!" Oricorio cheered as she raised her wings in triumph, "Kori, kori, korio~!" she sang as she danced, posing all the while. Erika blinked.

"Rotodex, who is that?" she asked, catching Rotom's attention.

" _She's an Oricorio, zzt,_ " it responded, pointing towards the Dancing Pokémon, " _An Electric/Flying type that-_ "

"Yeah, I just needed to know the name…" Erika interjected to Rotom's surprise, seeing her trot over to Oricorio, "Hey, Oricorio," she said, catching the Dancing Pokémon's attention, "thanks for helping us back there," she told her in gratitude, giving her a smile.

"Kori!" she chirped happily in reply.

"Ar…" Popplio's voice moaned, causing Erika to perk up and see the electricity sparking around the Sea Lion Pokémon's body.

"Oh no, Popplio!" she cried out, hurrying over to pick her up, "What happened?" she asked.

"I think she was hit by a Stun Spore from those Cottonee…" Lillie answered as she came over, reaching into her duffel bag, "Here, let me help…" she offered, taking out a yellow spray bottle. A few moments passed as Popplio was sprayed with whatever substance was in the bottle Lillie had gotten for her. The electricity seemed to dissipate from her body.

"Arf!" she yipped happily as she hopped up.

"Phew…" Erika breathed in relief, "Lillie, thanks," she said in gratitude to the girl beside her.

"Oh, it's nothing…" she responded with a light blush across her cheeks, "I always pack enough medicine in case Nebby gets itself hurt…" she pointed out, opening her duffel bag to show Erika its contents, "And since I don't have a Pokémon to use to battle, I can't exactly go into fields without Repels…" she mentioned with a sheepish grin.

"You've got so much stuff…" Erika noted in surprise.

"I know…" Lillie said, sounding embarrassed, "I tend to buy without thinking half the time…" she admitted.

"That's not really a bad thing, ya know?" Erika chimed in, causing her to perk up in surprise, "If anything, it means you're ready to help Nebby with whatever trouble he'll get into!" she pointed out with a chuckle. Lillie couldn't help but laugh, too. But then she realized something.

"Where is Nebby?" she asked in concern.

"Kori!" Oricorio suddenly chirped, catching their attentions. The Nebula Pokémon was right beside her, practicing the same poses she was. The two girls laughed. After all that happened, they were glad that things turned out well.

"Hey, Lillie…" Erika began, catching the girl's attention, "I wanted to say sorry for shouting at you and acting like a jerk before…" she apologized, bowing her head, "I just… never really got to know how great things are here…" she confessed. Lillie blinked in surprise, but then smiled.

"It's all right, Erika," she reassured, "I'm happy you're enjoying your journey now," she mentioned, letting off a giggle with her. After returning Popplio and Rockruff to their Poké Balls, Erika watched as Lillie placed Nebby into her bag.

"Pew!" it exclaimed excitedly.

"Wow, it's already close to sunset…" Erika noted as she saw the sunlight starting to fade around the meadow.

"The professor is going to be so cross with me for going off track…" Lillie realized with a heavy sigh.

"Don't worry, he'll understand," Erika reassured, placing her hand onto the girl's shoulder.

"Kori!" Oricorio suddenly chirped, catching their attentions as they saw her hop up to them.

"What is it, Oricorio?" Erika asked, squatting down to the Dancing Pokémon's eye level.

"Kori, kor, koree~!" she sang while ruffling her pom-pom-like feathers.

" _What does she want, zzt?_ " Rotom buzzed in question. Erika grinned as she stood up.

"I know exactly what she wants," she responded as he reached into her bag and pulled out a Poké Ball that she enlarged, "You wanna come with us, right?" she guessed.

"Koree!" Oricorio chirped as she nodded. Erika then underhanded the Poké Ball into the air, followed by the Dancing Pokémon hopping up and tapping the container with her right wing. The Poké Ball then opened, followed by Oricorio's body turning into red light as she went into it. The container then shut, falling onto the ground. It shook for a few moments as its button blinked a bright red before coming to a stop with the sound of a click. Erika smiled as she went over and picked it up.

"I caught an Oricorio!" she declared as she raised it up into the air.

" _It's that easy, zzt?_ " Rotom wondered, while Lillie smiled.

 **X**

Moments later, Erika and Lillie made their way out of the meadow and back onto Route 3.

"Ah…" Erika yawned as she held onto Oricorio's Poké Ball, "What a day…" she exhaled happily.

"That's your third Pokémon, right?" Lillie guessed, getting a nod in reply, "And you've cleared Ilima's trial, which means…"

" _She'll get to battle Hala next, zzt!_ " Rotom interjected excitedly.

"Honestly, I'm a little nervous about fighting him…" Erika admitted as she stared at the Poké Ball in her hand, "But… I really wanna try," she said firmly.

"HEY!" a familiar voice called out, catching their attentions as they saw Hau running toward them, "Can't believe you girls didn't make it back to Iki yet!" he shouted while waving.

"Oh, hello Hau!" Lillie greeted as he came up to them, "Did you clear the trial, too?" she guessed with a tilt of her head.

"Uh-huh!" Hau responded with a nod, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a Normalium Z to show the girls, "I might not have a Z-Ring yet, but we'll be sure to pull off some awesome Z-Moves once I do!" he declared firmly.

"Yeah, same here!" Erika agreed as she pumped her fist. Lillie smiled. Though she didn't understand the joy in taking the trials, she knew it was important to the two challengers with her.

" _Hmm…_ " Rotom buzzed, " _Since both Erika and Hau passed the trial, that means either one of them can battle Hala next, zzt!_ " it explained excitedly.

"Which means we gotta decide who'll battle him first!" Hau realized, pulling out a Poké Ball from his belt, "So Eri, let's battle for it!" he declared as he enlarged the container in his hand by pressing its center button.

"B-Battle?" Erika stuttered. She was definitely caught off guard by the proposal.

"It does seem like a fair way to decide between trainers…" Lillie concluded as she scratched her cheek sheepishly, "Though I honestly don't like it when Pokémon fight…" she admitted.

"I guess it does," Erika agreed, readying the Poké Ball in her hand, "Okay, let's do it!" she exclaimed. A moment passed by before the two were in ready positions, prepared to start.

"Okay, here goes!" Hau cried out as he reeled his arm back, "I caught this little guy back in Verdant Cavern!" he pointed out, throwing the Poké Ball into the air, "Come on out!" he beckoned. The Poké Ball popped open, and the light that spilled out formed in midair, dissipating to reveal a Noibat.

"Noi!" he squeaked while flapping his wings.

"A Noibat, huh?" Erika uttered curiously with an arched eyebrow.

" _Noibat, the Sound Wave Pokémon,_ " Rotom stated as an image of the Flying/Dragon type came up on its screen, " _He flies around in search of fruit to eat. He uses ultrasonic waves to detect which fruits are ripe,_ " it explained briefly.

"Well, I guess I'll use my newest partner, too!" Erika declared as she threw her Poké Ball up into the air, "Let's go, Oricorio!" she called out. The container popped open, and the light that emitted from it spilled onto the ground, forming and then dissipating to reveal the Dancing Pokémon.

"Kori!" she chirped happily as she hopped up and down like a cheerleader.

"You got your own Flying type, huh?" Hau concluded as he grinned, "Well, we're not gonna lose!" he declared firmly, "Noibat, Tackle!" he commanded. Diving down at Oricorio head first, Noibat was prepared to attack.

"Double Slap!" Erika called out. Oricorio made her pom-pom-like feathers glow a bright white as she awaited Noibat's arrival. As the Sound Wave Pokémon finally got close enough, she smacked him with her wings before he could strike her, knocking him away.

"Ah!" Hau gasped in shock. His cousin smirked.

"Now use Peck!" she ordered. Having a bird-shaped aura shrouding the front of her body, Oricorio dashed out towards the fallen Noibat.

"Hey, watch out!" Hau yelped. But Noibat took notice too late as he was struck aside yet again by Oricorio's beak.

"Kori!" she cheered afterwards, hopping up and down excitedly. A tick mark developed on Noibat's head as he saw.

"Noiii…" he growled angrily.

"Okay, use Gust!" Hau shouted. The Sound Wave Pokémon had his wings glow a bright blue as he flew up and flapping them rapidly, creating a gust that blew fiercely by. However, Oricorio seemed to endure it as she only slid back a few steps from where she was.

"Oh my…!" Lillie gasped in surprise.

" _That Oricorio's really strong, zzt!_ " Rotom noted.

"All right then…" Hau muttered, letting off a nervous grin, "Noibat, Bite!" he commanded. The Sound Wave Pokémon made his teeth glow a bright white as he dove down at Oricorio again.

"Use Peck!" Erika ordered as she pumped her fist. Cloaking the front of her body in a yellow bird-shaped aura once more, Oricorio leapt and collided with Noibat. They were at a deadlock for a moment until the Sound Wave Pokémon was blown back yet again, striking the ground hard.

"Jeez…" Hau muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. He was shocked with how strong Erika was compared to before. "All right, let's try Wing Attack!" he called out. Flying back up into the air, Noibat made his wings glow a bright white as he dove back at Oricorio again.

"Let's try something different…" Erika concurred with a smirk, "Teeter Dance!" she exclaimed. Hau blinked in surprise.

"Kori, kori~…" Oricorio sang as she danced, waving her wings. A pink mist began to spread outward from her body, making contact with the oncoming Noibat. He suddenly stopped, flying around crazily as he seemed to have lost control of himself.

"N-Noibat?!" Hau stuttered in surprise.

" _Teeter Dance is a move that confuses a Pokémon when struck, zzt!_ " Rotom buzzed in explanation. Lillie widened her eyes. Erika was obviously not the same girl she saw moping around the Trainer's School. Not now.

"Let's finish things with Double Slap!" she called out to her partner.

"Kori!" Oricorio chirped in response, making her pom-pom-like feathers glow white before flying up and smacking Noibat over and over with them, slamming him onto the ground with a fierce smack.

"Noibat!" Hau exclaimed. As the dust settled, it revealed the Sound Wave Pokémon lying upon the ground with swirls in his eyes, evidently unable to keep fighting.

" _Noibat is unable to continue, zzt!_ " Rotom exclaimed with a buzz, " _So that means Erika will get to face Hala first!_ " it added, gesturing towards its user.

"All right!" Erika exclaimed with a pump of her fist.

"Kori!" Oricorio cheered, posing all the while. Lillie smiled again. Seeing this new version of Erika was… somewhat inspiring. For her to change so quickly…

' _I wonder if I could be like that, too…_ ' she noted inwardly. Hau returned Noibat to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.

"Thanks for the hard work, Noibat," he said in gratitude, "Sorry things didn't go our way…" he apologized before shrinking the Poké Ball and placing it back onto his belt, "Guess you're goin' first, Eri!" he called out while trotting up to his cousin.

"Yes, you'll be attempting the island's grand trial next…" Lillie pointed out, "I hear Hala's one of the strongest trainers on the island…" she mentioned in a concerned tone. Erika grinned.

"We'll just have to our best then," she reassured, "Right, Oricorio?" she guessed to the Dancing Pokémon.

"Kor!" she chirped in agreement as she raised her right wing.

"There you all are!" a familiar voice cried out, catching their attentions as they saw Kukui running up to them, "Thought I lost you once I got into Iki Town…" he pointed out as he came to a stop, "Oh, Hau!" he said, noticing the boy there, "I take it you beat Ilima's trial, right?" he inferred with his hands at his hips.

"Mm-hmm!" Hau responded with a wide smile, "But Eri here's gonna challenge Tutu first," he noted, looking over at his cousin.

"Is that right?" Kukui inquired rhetorically as he arched an eyebrow, "Well, I hope you're ready!" he pointed out, "Hala's no pushover with those Fighting types of his…" he mentioned. Erika closed her right hand into a fist and gave off a confident grin.

" _We'll_ be ready," she stated firmly. Confidence brimmed from her. And she was prepared to take on what could be her hardest trial yet…

 **END**

 **NegaiFreak: WOOHOO!**

 **Calvin Ketchum: Kind of a shorter chapter this time around…**

 **Erika Ketchum: Hey, this might be the last one he makes before the end of his college run! You know how next week there's… you know?**

 **Calvin Ketchum: Oh, right…**

 **Erika Ketchum: Anyways, here's the summary for the next chapter!**

 **SUMMARY**

 _ **Erika's ready to take her grand trial against Melemele Island's Kahuna, Hala! She'll be facing his Fighting type Pokémon in a 3-on-3 battle, but will she be able to match him when he has a Z-Ring and she does not?!**_

 **END SUMMARY**


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